Thank you, Mr. Posner, for working so diligently to bring clarity and truth to the public. Staring at truths such as these is sad and painful; shameful, even. Knowing that this is the way "business" is done speaks volumes about the state of character of some who have the responsibility for deciding how "business is done". I wish it were not so.
I don't understand why the US doesn't ask for a fraction of profits when a drug makes it big. We taxpayers can absorb the losses, pay companies to do research, and not force them to pay if it doesn't work out, but if they start making a profit we should get some fraction. It's still no-lose for them.
How different chemically is the new drug vs old? Is it a couple of molecules? Given the delivery system is a shot vs a pill. Unconscionable that Gilead got away with the patent paid for by the taxpayer. There must be iron-clad contracts that don't allow this to occur. It’s professional pharmaceutical drug development theft disguised as a business.
Thanks for this educational piece. And now, if citizens lose or cannot afford health insurance if the budget reconciliation bill passes in its current form, such meds and others will be unaffordable.
i am a fan of your work and read pharma. nevertheless, in an effort to promote challenges and critical thought, i want to suggest a future article on how you calculate your drug profit percentages. i would think its fair to attribute some fixed costs of the pharmaceutical company discovering a drug to those profits and to consider in some fashion the costs of their unsuccessful research. e.g., how do the profit figures you present compare to the overall company performance and returns?
i assume there is a tremendous amount of fat in those overall profit margins for a drug company (like executive salaries, bonuses and other questionable “expenses”). so it may be of limited value for comparison, but it is a question that i doubt i am the first to ask and id like to read details about your approach.
Thank you, Mr. Posner, for working so diligently to bring clarity and truth to the public. Staring at truths such as these is sad and painful; shameful, even. Knowing that this is the way "business" is done speaks volumes about the state of character of some who have the responsibility for deciding how "business is done". I wish it were not so.
Thank you!
I don't understand why the US doesn't ask for a fraction of profits when a drug makes it big. We taxpayers can absorb the losses, pay companies to do research, and not force them to pay if it doesn't work out, but if they start making a profit we should get some fraction. It's still no-lose for them.
How different chemically is the new drug vs old? Is it a couple of molecules? Given the delivery system is a shot vs a pill. Unconscionable that Gilead got away with the patent paid for by the taxpayer. There must be iron-clad contracts that don't allow this to occur. It’s professional pharmaceutical drug development theft disguised as a business.
Thanks for this educational piece. And now, if citizens lose or cannot afford health insurance if the budget reconciliation bill passes in its current form, such meds and others will be unaffordable.
i am a fan of your work and read pharma. nevertheless, in an effort to promote challenges and critical thought, i want to suggest a future article on how you calculate your drug profit percentages. i would think its fair to attribute some fixed costs of the pharmaceutical company discovering a drug to those profits and to consider in some fashion the costs of their unsuccessful research. e.g., how do the profit figures you present compare to the overall company performance and returns?
i assume there is a tremendous amount of fat in those overall profit margins for a drug company (like executive salaries, bonuses and other questionable “expenses”). so it may be of limited value for comparison, but it is a question that i doubt i am the first to ask and id like to read details about your approach.
thanks for your work.
Talk about timing. Just before I read your post, I read this article online.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/06/18/hiv-epidemic-new-shot-fda-approval/84240744007/?utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c8035d78644b3abee5c1