I hate Big Pharma and Ive never been a registered Democrat. That has nothing to do with you. I hate any industry that claims to, but actually has no intent to cure anyone. Very little money is made in cures. But there is a butt load made in being "almost there" with "almost there" symptom covering drugs. People want to bitch and moan about banks or oil companies but their profit margins pail in comparison with JJ, BMS and others in Big Pharma. But I guess thats an argument for another thread.
Luckily I don't work for a big pharma company, because I tend to agree with you on some of your points. But, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Believe me, some of the best minds in the world are working in hospitals (like UAB) to find a cure for diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, specific types of cancer, etc. A great deal of that reseach is being funded by the pharma sector.
To bring it home, let's say your dad goes to the MD today. He is told that he has a certain type of throat cancer and his only option is to have his esophagus removed. Now, he makes an appointment with the surgeon, goes in and is told that, yes, that is his only option (because he is a surgeon, and his job is to open people up).
Now, hopefully your dad wants to get a second opinion, so he goes to a different specialist. Luckily someone like me had been in there "slinging doughnuts and coffee" and had advised the specialist of a non-surgical option.
Now, if that specialist had not been advised of treatment options, your dad would be drinking all of his meals from a tube the rest of his life. But, since someone like me had been in there "handing out post-it notes", he is able to go on living a normal life.
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