Because then the rival company would also go out of business. The pharma industry is not about absolute cure but about continuously selling things - like all industries do. Medicine that cures you entirely and is not needed afterwards forever again is nothing the pharma industry wants.

[–] absentbird@lemm.ee 27 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Exactly, that's why we'll never have a vaccine for something like polio, it's too profitable to make and sell iron lungs.

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

You joke, but that's actually a really interesting story. Jonas Salk, the developer of the first polio vaccine was adamantly against even patenting it and claimed that it 'belonged to the people'. There is some potential controversy there, but we mostly just think he was a pretty great dude. Dude's a fucking hero regardless.

I get the analogy you're trying to make, but maybe want to switch to something else.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I get the analogy you're trying to make, but maybe want to switch to something else.

Like any other vaccine?

[–] BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Yeah, legitimately could choose just about anything else besides polio and it would have landed pretty well.

[–] absentbird@lemm.ee 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I don't really see how that goes against it. If anything it shows that some people will totally disregard profit in favor of bettering humanity. See also: the patent for insulin.

[–] Dirk@lemmy.ml -5 points 7 months ago

We have a vaccine. Not a cure.