4 ms·

Pfizer's reaping 33billion on vax alone this year. Three guesses where that money comes from.

by swayvil 5y ago

Covzire 5y ago
Saying they're free is certainly misleading.
- robotmay 5y ago
  I mean, I pay nothing for mine. I already pay tax to fund our health service, which purchases many drugs from many vendors for many diseases. This is just one more, and by all accounts it's comparatively cheap for the overall cost-savings when it keeps the vast majority of people out of the hospitals.
plainnoodles 5y ago
Isn't that supposed to be how capitalism funds and incentivizes R&D though? There is market demand for a Thing, if you can figure out how to make Things then the market will reward that with profit. Honestly, for being the firm to develop a vaccine for a global pandemic, $33B in revenue sounds a little light? Apple made 83B in revenue just in Q3 alone and all they do is make phones that aren't even improving that much year-over-year.
- the_doctah 5y ago
  Capitalism is about a free market, not collusion with the government to force vaccines on citizens.
  - m0llusk 5y ago
    Capitalism is about allowing ownership of property and profit from labor. Markets work best when there are a range of restrictions and taxes for services and subsidies that tune outcomes. Universal access to education, for example, is extremely expensive, but the benefits that come with having a literate society make the investment worthwhile.
    - notch656a 5y ago
      >Markets work best when there are a range of restrictions and taxes for services and subsidies that tune outcomes I'd argue markets work best when they're unencumbered. That means the range of taxes and subsidies are zero, because there are none. Literacy is a fine investment but shouldn't come at extraction of wealth at gunpoint.
robotmay 5y ago
Er, so? They developed and are producing a vaccine that will save millions of lives. That's a damn sight more deserving of billions in profit than any other number of industries or corporations.

Pfizer's reaping 33billion on vax alone this year. Three guesses where that money comes from.

Covzire 5y ago

Saying they're free is certainly misleading.

robotmay 5y ago
I mean, I pay nothing for mine. I already pay tax to fund our health service, which purchases many drugs from many vendors for many diseases. This is just one more, and by all accounts it's comparatively cheap for the overall cost-savings when it keeps the vast majority of people out of the hospitals.

plainnoodles 5y ago

Isn't that supposed to be how capitalism funds and incentivizes R&D though? There is market demand for a Thing, if you can figure out how to make Things then the market will reward that with profit. Honestly, for being the firm to develop a vaccine for a global pandemic, $33B in revenue sounds a little light? Apple made 83B in revenue just in Q3 alone and all they do is make phones that aren't even improving that much year-over-year.

the_doctah 5y ago
Capitalism is about a free market, not collusion with the government to force vaccines on citizens.
- m0llusk 5y ago
  Capitalism is about allowing ownership of property and profit from labor. Markets work best when there are a range of restrictions and taxes for services and subsidies that tune outcomes. Universal access to education, for example, is extremely expensive, but the benefits that come with having a literate society make the investment worthwhile.
  - notch656a 5y ago
    >Markets work best when there are a range of restrictions and taxes for services and subsidies that tune outcomes I'd argue markets work best when they're unencumbered. That means the range of taxes and subsidies are zero, because there are none. Literacy is a fine investment but shouldn't come at extraction of wealth at gunpoint.

robotmay 5y ago

Er, so? They developed and are producing a vaccine that will save millions of lives. That's a damn sight more deserving of billions in profit than any other number of industries or corporations.