As a Professor of Kennedy University, I used to teach five different subjects there. Among those subjects, I gave lessons in “Pharmaceutical Practise and Administration” to more than fifty excellent students who were avid to learn. And my task was not only to teach my students Pharmaceutical Legislation but to show them how this activity works in comercial terms. As a research project, the class had to look for all the possible information about a product called “nafazolina”. These drops for nasal decongestion we had chosen at random, have been on the market for more than forty years. Having consulted the most important drugs provider, we found that this medicine is bought for as little as 0,03cents a bottle and sold to the public for the price of 11,25 pesos, which means the profit from the sales is around 37,500per cent the unit. This has nothing to do with a licit activity, of course.
The last 5th June, I attended an “Etics and Medicine” Conference held at the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation. Representatives of Legislature, Trade Union and even the Pharmaceutical Chamber, that apparently hadn´t been invited, attended it.
Once the Conference had finished, we were invited to give our ideas about the subject. I have strong opinions about the Pharmaceutical Industry. These people are making handsome profits every day while the rest, especially children, are dying because they can’t afford medicines. The State ought to do something about the matter, but is doing nothing.
The answer to my words didn’t take long. Mr Capon Filas, Dean of Kennedy University and Ms Magariños, Director of the Pharmaceutical Chamber, gave me a hard and cutting speech and made me resign. I lost the Pharmacy department and the other three departments as well. They were preventing me from talking and although I don’t regret what I have done, I can’t stand being part of a thing like that.

Curiosly, my last salary -bonus included – was 231 pesos.

Yours sincerely,
Professor Cocca
profcocca@gmail.com