In 1955, a humanitarian with a medical degree and razor sharp mind eliminated the scourge of polio from America. He developed the polio vaccine and reduced incidences of this dread disease from 18 cases per 100,000 Americans to zero today. A patent on this vaccine would arguably have been worth billions of dollars….but he refused the patent. He was about saving lives, not making millions, making him an exception in the world of profiteering. His name was Jonas Salk. The Jewish son of Russian immigrants, his life can be summed up in few words, a genius who happened to care deeply about the human condition.
I have friends in big pharma. They have enjoyed the rewards of working in an incredibly profitable industry, and a few have demonstrated a genuine concern for the human condition. As a whole, big pharma is an incredibly profitable business with the human condition being secondary to making money. Do not be fooled, there is enormous profitability in treating sickness, as opposed to preventing it.
As an example, consider the newest trend in controlling weight for folks, who for a variety of reasons benefit tremendously from the new GLP medications. These medicines have shown great promise in other aspects of health as well, such as diabetes and cardiac illness. They are also inordinately expensive with many insurance companies refusing coverage. Expense drives the refusal to cover these medicines despite weight being one of the greatest comorbitities we face worldwide with a particular emphasis on America which is, to put it bluntly, fat. If you walk into a pharmacy today, and your insurance doesn’t cover these meds, you will shell out a grand a month to pay for it, give or take. Medicare only covers this stuff if if you have gross sleep apnea or some other indication of impending death.
After a year of low inactivity and the lengthy recovery from shoulder replacement, I am relying on one of these meds until I can get back into the gym. I am also paying handsomely for this privilege. Today, virtually everything from extra catsup with your fries to light ice in a drink comes with an up charge. Document fees on a 50K car fall into this category….you get it.
Thank you, Dr. Salk. You, sir, were not motivated by inordinate piles of money, rather making a difference in mankind. The satisfaction in conquering a dread malady was enough for a Jewish descendent who cared.
Have a great week!
SR
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