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If the people want's vaccines, then the government should pay these companies to develop them. No different than the people/government/military wanting new plan

If the people want's vaccines, then the government should pay these companies to develop them. No different than the people/government/military wanting new planes and paying defense contractors to develop them. There's a military-industrial complex that isn't perfect, but works. If it's important enough then there should be a health-industrial complex to develop the technologies, medicines, treatments, etc.. that would be too expensive/unprofitable to develop otherwise. Total privatization is not a good idea, as having companies bid for contracts at least introduces some competition into the process, and some incentive to innovate.

WhompingWindows 7y ago
One issue is that intellectual property is vastly different in military and healthcare industries. It'd be a monumental task to re-create an aircraft carrier or fighter jet in another country, but recreate a drug that's taken billions to develop? Well that takes a small team of organic chemists and a small factory in India or elsewhere. Furthermore, vaccines are not typical drugs, they are one-use only, which is not a good profit-generator...there is not a good corollary in the military space for one-off vs. chronic drugs. The comparison of the two industries is a stretch, IMO. Completely different business models.
- iguy 7y ago
  Maybe not such a stretch. The nation wants aircraft carriers, and ideally wants other countries not to have similar ones. The nation also wants vaccines, but if the rest of the world gets to copy them, so much the better! Then perhaps the pandemic stops closer to source. In both of these, the proposed business model is that you make what the government asks you to make. And of course you build your factories in certain senator's backyards, and so on... it's not going to be done for precisely the minimum possible cost. But it can get done.
- magduf 7y ago
  >It'd be a monumental task to re-create an aircraft carrier or fighter jet in another country, but recreate a drug that's taken billions to develop? Well that takes a small team of organic chemists and a small factory in India or elsewhere. So what's the problem here? Do you want people in other countries to die of preventable diseases or something?
- trixie_ 7y ago
  The problem of IP and one-use is exactly the problem that subsidization solves. The company can develop medicine, even sell it for cheaper internationally because the r&d costs were covered by the government.

WhompingWindows 7y ago

One issue is that intellectual property is vastly different in military and healthcare industries. It'd be a monumental task to re-create an aircraft carrier or fighter jet in another country, but recreate a drug that's taken billions to develop? Well that takes a small team of organic chemists and a small factory in India or elsewhere. Furthermore, vaccines are not typical drugs, they are one-use only, which is not a good profit-generator...there is not a good corollary in the military space for one-off vs. chronic drugs. The comparison of the two industries is a stretch, IMO. Completely different business models.

iguy 7y ago
Maybe not such a stretch. The nation wants aircraft carriers, and ideally wants other countries not to have similar ones. The nation also wants vaccines, but if the rest of the world gets to copy them, so much the better! Then perhaps the pandemic stops closer to source. In both of these, the proposed business model is that you make what the government asks you to make. And of course you build your factories in certain senator's backyards, and so on... it's not going to be done for precisely the minimum possible cost. But it can get done.
magduf 7y ago
>It'd be a monumental task to re-create an aircraft carrier or fighter jet in another country, but recreate a drug that's taken billions to develop? Well that takes a small team of organic chemists and a small factory in India or elsewhere. So what's the problem here? Do you want people in other countries to die of preventable diseases or something?
trixie_ 7y ago
The problem of IP and one-use is exactly the problem that subsidization solves. The company can develop medicine, even sell it for cheaper internationally because the r&d costs were covered by the government.