This is one of those comments that risks becoming a Big Lie, something that gets accepted as true because it is repeated often enough.
Well, the National Cancer Institute indicates that the five year survival rate for children diagnosed with cancer is now 80%, up dramatically from 58% 20 years ago.
That's over a 50% decrease in the chance of kids dying from cancer. Such a transformation doesn't come cheaply, and requires companies to charge high prices and make significant profits to give them the incentive to develop the drugs and treatments which make this life-saving change possible.
So the next time you hear someone bemoaning the profits of drug companies, recognize that without those profits, you, a loved one, or a friend may suffer or die from the drug not developed because of the reduced financial resources available, and weakened incentive, to develop drugs in the future.
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