Hello van der straeten,
No human organization can run for long unless it can pay its workers. If they only lose money, soon they will not have any workers. Things get complicated when people think that the goods they produce should be available at little or no cost, for humanitarian reasons. This can be done if governments spend their tax revenues buying from Big Pharma. But the legislators want top spend the money buying from their friends. Many countries boast about price limits imposed on Big Pharma which allow a small profit on production but not on development or research. And they do not subsidize the pharmaceutical companies.

I am reminded of how lawyers sue companies who make vaccinations based on poor statistical correlations. Since everybody is supposed to get vaccinations, the whole body of human ills can be associated with vaccinations, giving lawyers a great chance to make hundreds of millions off the sick and the suffering.

This is a complicated topic with vast sums of money being pulled in many directions by different groups of people, some of whom are greedy and self-interested.

Lawrence

If a cure for cancer or AIDs is found look how many people would be put out of work. One only needs to research how Harry Hoxsey was treated by the AMA when he was a pioneer in treating cancer. I think modern medicine is only interested in treating a condition...not curing it. There is more money in treatments than cures.

That's your opinion. I would rather concentrate on helping with the research on WCG and leave others to make their own decisions based on their ethical frameworks. I believe in doing my bit to help alleviate human suffering.

I've known people who work for "big pharma" as the OP so quaintly puts it and they do a great deal of basic research equal to or better than what is done in academia. A woman I was in a long term relationship with was doing cutting edge research on the proteins associated with Alzheimer's for example. So yes, "big pharma" is quite interested in curing disease. What you fail to recognize is the prestige and recognition that comes with breakthrough discoveries - in addition to the contributions to the bottom line. That type of recognition attracts new talent which is the life blood of any research based company such one that develops pharmaceuticals.

The naivete of some people who think that the people running these companies are some alien, reptilian species here for the sole purpose of preying on us poor defenseless humans never fails to both irritate and amuse. I can't even conceive of how narrow a world view one must have to actually believe such rubbish.

I disagree. The eradication of smallpox is an example.
Cheers