As regulator prepares to approve Lenacapavir in the US, campaigners are urging the manufacturer, Gilead, to make it ‘available and affordable for all who need it’
They have to recoup their costs somehow. Their licence will expire after a while and other companies and make the product and therefore brigdown the price.
It’s getting downvoted to oblivion because it ignores many things, namely the fact that a lot of drug research worldwide is state-funded. There are many cases in which pharmaceutical companies use public funds for R&D, and then go on to sell the drug at steep prices, raking in immense profits.
Meanwhile the public has to either cough up the bucks, or wait until the patent expires to have affordable options.
They have to recoup their costs somehow. Their licence will expire after a while and other companies and make the product and therefore brigdown the price.
It’s not like we have taxes to pay for such things (at least anymore thx to Doge)
It’s nutty this comment is downvoted to oblivion but “infinite breeding here we cum” idiot is getting upvotes.
It’s shit, but it’s true. The company that researched this amazing thing needs to get paid.
Maybe we could just give them $20b to forego their royalties, but then what if a better drug was developed next year which we wanted instead?
Until someone solves the problem of funding medications, this will be the reality.
It’s getting downvoted to oblivion because it ignores many things, namely the fact that a lot of drug research worldwide is state-funded. There are many cases in which pharmaceutical companies use public funds for R&D, and then go on to sell the drug at steep prices, raking in immense profits.
Meanwhile the public has to either cough up the bucks, or wait until the patent expires to have affordable options.
These are generalisations. It’s facebook grandma reasoning.
What elements of the R&D process for this medication were state funded and to what extent?
Loads of industries receive support and incentives and grants from governments, they’re not required to give their product away?
There’s no doubt that large components of the medical industry, and the pharmaceutical industry are unethical profiteers.
It’s also true that the research needs to be funded somehow.
My point is, there is nuance here that most lemmy users just aren’t interested in. It’s not as simple as “pharma bad”.