One reason there isn't a focus on curative drugs is the current drug system won't pay for it. In an ideal world if it costs 10 million dollars to treat an HIV

One reason there isn't a focus on curative drugs is the current drug system won't pay for it. In an ideal world if it costs 10 million dollars to treat an HIV patient over ten years we should be willing to spend 5 million on a curative drug. But when this actually happens as seen with a hepatitis cure everyone freaks out about the price drug. And thus we can't have nice things.