:: walterindenver ::

:: Saturday, September 21, 2002 ::

AIDS Activists Win, Patients Lose

For as long as AIDS activists have been protesting 'greedy drug corporations' for profiteering, free-marketeers have been quietly warning, 'You might not want to do that.'

Now the Jerusalem Post reports new anti-HIV drug development is off by 5% to 30%, likely closer to 30%. Why?

One of the rare industry executives who would actually discuss the topic, but did not wish to be identified, agreed that although he didn't like to admit it, "we have lost the battle with the activists, and now the market is less profitable.
The result is that we are spending less R&D time on anti-retrovirals. Why bother to innovate these products when any advance will not be profitable?" he said.

Do naysayers think it mere coincidence that the country most friendly to business is also the leading country for drug research and development? Are people supposed to be happy that they've got cheap, but less effective medicines? Well, I suppose no one will ever know what new drugs will never be discovered now.

When some corporation finds a cure for AIDS I'd hope they make a huge profit, and its executives and researchers make Bill Gates-like money. That goes double for cancer.

Link via Andrew Sullivan.

:: Walter 6:37 AM [+] ::
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