Two items over at electoral-vote.com blog today regarding Biden's negotiations with Europe:
So if big pharma in America won't make drugs, who will?
Well, what about US Government labs?
Some thoughts:
Big Pharma:
Government
It seems like the government lab system has proven itself time and again, and that it is counter to its charter to protect the interests of a few rich people over the betterment of the whole.
Vaccine patents: Many people in Europe want the U.S. to waive patent rights on the COVID-19 vaccines to allow any company anywhere to produce them. Pfizer and Moderna are wildly against doing this and have said if these patents can be suspended, then there will be more suspensions of patents in the future and no drug company will do research any more. The U.S. has so far backed the drug companies. How will this play out?
Cost of drugs: The U.S. often complains that Europe doesn't pay enough for drugs, leaving U.S. companies reliant on U.S. customers to keep the companies healthy. But progressives want Medicare to negotiate with the drug companies to lower U.S. prices. If the U.S. and the E.U. both get low prices, will the drug companies remain in business?
So if big pharma in America won't make drugs, who will?
Well, what about US Government labs?
Some thoughts:
Big Pharma:
- employs lots of smart people, who would still be smart without jobs at that place.
- pays large salaries to executives
- pays big dividends to shareholders
- will only work on high profit solutions, even if the low-profit items are a huge boost to the economy
Government
- can employ the same smart people. (strangely bimodal arguments about whether government jobs are not worth taking versus government workers having it easy with fabulous retirement)
- doesn't have to pay huge salaries to executives
- doesn't have to pay anything at all to shareholders.
- can use the difference to attract and retain the smart people
- receives direct dividends (unspent medicaid) for any discovery that helps the nation's people, even when they can't pay
It seems like the government lab system has proven itself time and again, and that it is counter to its charter to protect the interests of a few rich people over the betterment of the whole.