8 ms·

as someone who lost a friend last year to skin cancer and has a work colleague with end-stage breast cancer that has spread to her bones - bring it on. as some

as someone who lost a friend last year to skin cancer and has a work colleague with end-stage breast cancer that has spread to her bones - bring it on. as someone working in life sciences - years off, even with FDA fast track. the incentive to reap billions is justified, this is far more important than a fucking social sharing app - it better be more profitable. the best minds should work on a cure for cancer not bullshit timewasters.

ccvannorman 11y ago
In principle I agree with you, however I doubt it was a scrappy startup team of 3-10 scientists who will be reaping the billions, and I bet it will be incumbent pharmaceutical gargantuans who will earn the bulk of profits.
- snowwindwaves 11y ago
  Anybody can own part of the gargantuan and enjoy a share of the profit or loss by buying shares on the stock exchange.
- pinaceae 11y ago
  "scrappy" biotechs are the backbone of pharma innovation. genentech as the best known grandpa in that league. biotech is the other big startup area of the modern economy. full of VCs, unicorns and abysmal failures. but, their blockbuster products actually help people. :)
datashovel 11y ago
My hunch is, the more greedy the patent holders are, the more likely, and the faster replacement cures will come to market. And if that day comes, I certainly hope one of those replacement cures puts the greedy ones out of business. On a darker note, I think your second comment speaks volumes about the kind of human being you are. I hope one day, years from now, you will take the time to come back to this comment and have the ability to reflect on just how sad your world view was at one point in your life. On a lighter note, I agree that the best minds in the world should work on solving the hard / important problems of the world. With that said, machine learning / artificial intelligence (what alot of those "timewasters" are probably working on) will be what takes the human race to the next level. If you think "finding the cure for cancer" is next level, I am here to tell you we haven't seen anything yet. Machine learning / artificial intelligence is what's going to take us there.
- ars 11y ago
  It's not really about greed, this drug really and truly is extremely expensive to make.
  - datashovel 11y ago
    I agree, but with one caveat. It's only about greed if the patent / stake-holders make it about greed. The parent comment I was replying to seems to imply it would be a good / welcome idea for patent / stake-holders to be greedy and make billions in profits.
    - pinaceae 11y ago
      so billions for FB/Instagram/CocaCola/Tesla - all justified. same for something that is a product that takes billions to develop and get approved, plus saves actual lives? how DARE I!? resources in a capitalist society get allocated by rewards on efforts. i want the best resources working this, hence the incentives need to be spectacular. competing against HFT and other hot areas here.
      - datashovel 11y ago
        For someone to see a human being tortured by cancer, and for that person to turn around and say "one day I'm gonna make billions by inventing and patenting a cure" is evil to his core. If I am so blessed to be in a position that I have invented a cure for cancer, I am giving it away. At the most I want to break even. If I make a single penny from the invention I'm donating it to charity. If you're motivated by profit, you should not be in the business of saving lives.
        pinaceae 11y ago
        you're completely clueless about what it takes to bring modern medicine to market. you argue from a moral high horse that has no bearing in reality. developing a cure for cancer costs real fucking money, gobs and gobs of it. you think clinical trials and FDA approvals come for free? ramping up a supply chain around it? ever developed any product? ever?
bevacqua 11y ago
> this is far more important than a fucking social sharing app Yes. I don't see how this is 'overpriced' in comparison to tech exits

ccvannorman 11y ago

In principle I agree with you, however I doubt it was a scrappy startup team of 3-10 scientists who will be reaping the billions, and I bet it will be incumbent pharmaceutical gargantuans who will earn the bulk of profits.

snowwindwaves 11y ago
Anybody can own part of the gargantuan and enjoy a share of the profit or loss by buying shares on the stock exchange.
pinaceae 11y ago
"scrappy" biotechs are the backbone of pharma innovation. genentech as the best known grandpa in that league. biotech is the other big startup area of the modern economy. full of VCs, unicorns and abysmal failures. but, their blockbuster products actually help people. :)

datashovel 11y ago

My hunch is, the more greedy the patent holders are, the more likely, and the faster replacement cures will come to market. And if that day comes, I certainly hope one of those replacement cures puts the greedy ones out of business. On a darker note, I think your second comment speaks volumes about the kind of human being you are. I hope one day, years from now, you will take the time to come back to this comment and have the ability to reflect on just how sad your world view was at one point in your life. On a lighter note, I agree that the best minds in the world should work on solving the hard / important problems of the world. With that said, machine learning / artificial intelligence (what alot of those "timewasters" are probably working on) will be what takes the human race to the next level. If you think "finding the cure for cancer" is next level, I am here to tell you we haven't seen anything yet. Machine learning / artificial intelligence is what's going to take us there.

ars 11y ago
It's not really about greed, this drug really and truly is extremely expensive to make.
- datashovel 11y ago
  I agree, but with one caveat. It's only about greed if the patent / stake-holders make it about greed. The parent comment I was replying to seems to imply it would be a good / welcome idea for patent / stake-holders to be greedy and make billions in profits.
  - pinaceae 11y ago
    so billions for FB/Instagram/CocaCola/Tesla - all justified. same for something that is a product that takes billions to develop and get approved, plus saves actual lives? how DARE I!? resources in a capitalist society get allocated by rewards on efforts. i want the best resources working this, hence the incentives need to be spectacular. competing against HFT and other hot areas here.
    - datashovel 11y ago
      For someone to see a human being tortured by cancer, and for that person to turn around and say "one day I'm gonna make billions by inventing and patenting a cure" is evil to his core. If I am so blessed to be in a position that I have invented a cure for cancer, I am giving it away. At the most I want to break even. If I make a single penny from the invention I'm donating it to charity. If you're motivated by profit, you should not be in the business of saving lives.
      - pinaceae 11y ago
        you're completely clueless about what it takes to bring modern medicine to market. you argue from a moral high horse that has no bearing in reality. developing a cure for cancer costs real fucking money, gobs and gobs of it. you think clinical trials and FDA approvals come for free? ramping up a supply chain around it? ever developed any product? ever?

bevacqua 11y ago

> this is far more important than a fucking social sharing app Yes. I don't see how this is 'overpriced' in comparison to tech exits