This is real.

  • Chef@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    The pharma industry likes to defend its pricing by saying:

    The second pill cost 25¢.

    The first pill cost $800 million.

    What they never actually say is that the US government (thereby the taxpayers) heavily subsidized most of that cost.

    Big Pharma could use its own Mario Brother, just saying.

    • Whitebrow@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Even if we go by 0 subsidies as an argument, anything past around the 800 thousandth pill sold has already paid for itself and is now pure profit.

      The argument deserves to burn alongside whoever uses it to extort people for life saving care.

        • BillCheddar@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Only because they see huge profits coming later.

          If they couldn’t overcharge us for the drugs, they wouldn’t buy up the fucking patents in the first place. And why should they be allowed to buy the patents for life-saving drugs that we, the people, paid to fucking develop on the first place?

          All health care and pharma CEOs need to be lined up against the fucking wall TBH. They’re traitors.

    • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      Brave to assume that only one country gives a subsidy.
      Australia has the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that does the same thing.