[英語]Corruptions - two contrasting examples

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China:



2008, unscrupulous dilute milk by adding Melamine to increase the apparent protein content.
300,000 babies suffered urinary problems across China. Many hundreds required lengthy hospitalization for kidney stones. Six died.
Wave of popular outrage swept China. Official found widespread system of food adulteration protected by bribe-taking government officials. Long prison sentences were freely handout out. Couple of guiltiest culprits were tried and executed. Same for the former head of Chinese FDA executed. This became sensational stories and widely report in America with national heavy coverage of “Chinese Baby Formula”.
USA





September 2004 Merck recalled Vioxx, anti-pain medication to treat arthritis-related ailments.
Merck recall because a top medical journal was about to publish a massive study by FDA investigator indicating this drug increased the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes, and probably been responsible for at least 55,000 American (60,000 worldwide) deaths during the five year Vioxx had been on the market.
Journalist discovered Merck had strong evidence of the potentially fatal side-effects even before its initial 1999 introduction.
Vioxx was Merck’s most lucrative products. Generating over $2 billion yearly revenue. 25 million Americans were prescribed Vioxx as an Aspirin substitute drugs.
Vioxx scandal has few day of minor newspaper headlines. 2007, Merck settled $4.85 billions in court, over half of the money went to trial lawyers. Merck stock collapsed but since 2008 bounced back to new heights.
No individual were charged and CEO resigned but retained $50 million.

This story of serious corporate malfeasance largely forgiven and forgotten by government and media is depressing enough, but it leaves out a crucial factual detail that seems to have almost totally escaped public notice. The year after Vioxx had been pulled from the market, the New York Times and other major media outlets published a minor news item, generally buried near the bottom of their back pages, which noted that American death rates had suddenly undergone a striking and completely unexpected decline.

The headline of the short article that ran in the April 19, 2005 edition of USA Today was typical: “USA Records Largest Drop in Annual Deaths in at Least 60 Years.” During that one year, American deaths had fallen by 50,000 despite the growth in both the size and the age of the nation’s population. Government health experts were quoted as being greatly “surprised” and “scratching [their] heads” over this strange anomaly, which was led by a sharp drop in fatal heart attacks.

原文 Original articles:
http://www.theamericanconservati ... vioxx-a-comparison/
http://www.theamericanconservati ... rise-americas-fall/