4 ms·
The issue is that society thinks it's ok to charge $50k for a fancy car but not for a lifesaving treatment. In the former situation you have a choice, in the la
by temphn 15y ago
The issue is that society thinks it's ok to charge $50k for a fancy car but not for a lifesaving treatment. In the former situation you have a choice, in the latter you have no choice.
- gaius 15y agoMmm, but that has unfortunate second-order effects. Why was so much effort expended on Viagra instead of a cure for AIDS? Well the elephant in the corner of the room is that drug companies need to make money to fund more research; people will buy Viagra but as soon as a cure for AIDS is discovered the governments of India and Brazil will set about mass-manufacturing it without a penny to the discoverer. Knowing this, even if they wanted to do it for the good of humanity drug companies couldn't - they'd be busted for failing their fiduciary responsibility to shareholders!
- mindcrime 15y agoWhy was so much effort expended on Viagra instead of a cure for AIDS? Viagra wasn't created for the purpose of treating ED, it was originally meant as a treatment for high blood pressure and angina[1]. The fact that it caused erections just caused Pfizer to shift to marketing it as an ED treatment. So it's not like they were spending tons of research money specifically to "help old men have erections." Knowing this, even if they wanted to do it for the good of humanity drug companies couldn't - they'd be busted for failing their fiduciary responsibility to shareholders! Not necessarily true. Drug companies have worked on cures for diseases that are prevalent in the 3rd world, and they have even - on occasion - intentionally distributed that cure for free, to people who couldn't afford it. [2] [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sildenafil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sildenafil [2]: http://www.mectizan.org/history http://www.mectizan.org/history