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249 points randycupertino | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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stego-tech ◴[] No.45949690[source]
I feel kinda bad for the writer, because it's a good question: no, curing patients is not a good business model, just like public transit is not a good business model.

What a lot of folks neglect are N+1-order effects, because those are harder to quantify and fail to reach the predetermined decision some executive or board or shareholder has already made. Is curing patients a bad business model? Sure, for the biotech company it is, but those cured patients are far more likely to go on living longer, healthier lives, and in turn contribute additional value to society - which will impact others in ways that may also create additional value. That doesn't even get into the jobs and value created through the R&D process, testing, manufacturing, logistics of delivery, ongoing monitoring, etc. As long as the value created is more than the cost of the treatment, then it's a net-gain for the economy even if it's a net loss for that singular business.

If all you're judging is the first-order impacts on a single business, you're missing the forest for the trees.

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1. im3w1l ◴[] No.45949770[source]
I think it's the opposite. I think people are very aware of those effects, and that's actually why they ask the question in the first place.

They ask it "is this good business" not just because they care about the answer itself but because they want to start a debate on how society should promote the invention of cures.

Like I think most people in most industries are passionate people that really want to do good, but they do need to eat too.

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2. devsda ◴[] No.45950579[source]
Do you believe the current medical research is held back by the price limitations and if we just infuse more money, we'll find cure for many more diseases ?

Even if we consider that, we'll reach the same position as today because if only rich can afford medicine, the market will price that in and it's customer who can barely afford the medicine will shift from middle class to upper middle class and so on.