Thalidomide, may have a very useful future, as a very efficacious caner treatment, that may shrink inoperable tumors?
Virtually all useful discoveries, often have had unfortunate side effects.
That said, big pharma, may have a case to answer, in the extreme profiteering, that is so-called modern medicine.
If I had my druthers, patent periods would be greatly reduced, and then couldn't be extended, by finding new uses for old drugs, like say, combining two currently approved drugs, one that treats rheumatics, and another, chemotherapy for leukemia, that in combination, cure HIVAIDS!?
The are over a million known aids suffers in northern America, with each of them spending in excess of 20,000+ USD, a year on antivirals.
So, one might successfully argue, north American big pharma, has 20 million PA reasons, for not pursuing a cure.
And let's not mention the ten million or so, known African victims, many of who, are helped by very generous charitable donations, that may still represent tens of millions of profit for big pharma?
Much of the preliminary drug/medicine research occurs in universities, and at the expense of the public purse, with big pharma, only coming in, to virtually, commercialize the discoveries of others.
And yes the clinical trials and so on, before there is a marketable product, can and often does cost millions or billions!
Which, in the case of HIVAIDS, recouped in just one or two years, from billion dollar worldwide antiviral sales!?
The very foundation stone of capitalism, is competition; and it seems to me, too little of it occurs, or not enough is allowed to occur, in the mafia like world, of big pharma?
Cartels, or cartel like behavior, are/is supposed to be illegal?
I believe, if they want to turn medicine into just a business, and patients into just health consumers, then let them operate under the same rules that apply to all other, business or product marketing!?
Rhrosty.