Bayer CEO: "We did not make this medicine for Indians…we made it for Westerners who can afford it"

[Type Username Here]

"If these people want to afford medicine they shouldn't be born poor. If they are born poor, they should pick themselves up by the bootstraps just like I did. Did you know my father made me take public transportation once? I knew it was going to be tough but I picked myself up and I did it. These poor people should do as I did"

 

[DEAD7]

"If these people want to afford medicine they shouldn't be born poor. If they are born poor, they should pick themselves up by the bootstraps just like I did. Did you know my father made me take public transportation once? I knew it was going to be tough but I picked myself up and I did it. These poor people should do as I did"

Is that an actual quote?

 

[Kaydigi]

"If these people want to afford medicine they shouldn't be born poor. If they are born poor, they should pick themselves up by the bootstraps just like I did. Did you know my father made me take public transportation once? I knew it was going to be tough but I picked myself up and I did it. These poor people should do as I did"

 

[ill]

I'm sure you'd change your tune if you needed it and couldn't afford it


It's easy to sit here and talk about how it's not overpriced and R&D costs need to be recouped and all that other nonsense when you're perfectly healthy

I agree 100% that medicine is overpriced but I blame it on the HC system and not the companies that play in it. You consider recouping R&D costs nonsense? Ok, so how about they don't produce this drug at all, since they won't be getting any reward for its creation, and now the cancer patient has no alternative other than to die? Is that what you're saying?

 

[Type Username Here]

I agree 100% that medicine is overpriced but I blame it on the HC system and not the companies that play in it. You consider recouping R&D costs nonsense? Ok, so how about they don't produce this drug at all, since they won't be getting any reward for its creation, and now the cancer patient has no alternative other than to die? Is that what you're saying?

Nationalize the drug, subsidized the cost of the R&D, and give it to people for free or at an extremely low cost.

 

[ill]

Nationalize the drug, subsidized the cost of the R&D, and give it to people for free or at an extremely low cost.

Just this drug or all drugs? I understand govt helps create a lot of drugs but the drugs that typically come out of government incubation are generally low priced to begin with and don't cure very serious or acute diseases. Thats where the private sector comes in and does the job and they've been rewarded for it. Are we to just going to say its OK to be mediocre at drug creation or should we as one of the leaders in the world try to excel and combat unique diseases that are niches?

 

[DEAD7]

Just this drug or all drugs? I understand govt helps create a lot of drugs but the drugs that typically come out of government incubation are generally low priced to begin with and don't cure very serious or acute diseases. Thats where the private sector comes in and does the job and they've been rewarded for it. Are we to just going to say its OK to be mediocre at drug creation or should we as one of the leaders in the world try to excel and combat unique diseases that are niches?

For some reason many of them believe it is a net loss to have these drugs developed quickly and sold at a high price vs having them not created for anyone. I'm not even sure what to say....

 

[Type Username Here]

Just this drug or all drugs?

Do what they do with defense contractors: if it's vital to national security and wellbeing of the populace, it should be nationalized and subsidized. Lockheed Martin do just fine when their creations are nationalized.

 

[Type Username Here]

For some reason many of them believe it is a net loss to have these drugs developed quickly and sold at a high price vs having them not created for anyone. I'm not even sure what to say....

What some of us are saying is that putting profits above human lives is primitive thinking.

It's a temper-tantrum "well if I can't make billions of dollars of profit off of it, why bother?"

Can you imagine if scientists, engineers and others throughout our history had this primitive line of thinking? We would be nowhere as a species.

Polio Vaccine is a great example. No patent. Institutions, both public and private, joined around the globe and worked together to eradicate polio from this planet, saving millions of lives over decades. To me, it's one of the great triumphs in human history. Your wealth and location did not matter in that regard.

 

[DEAD7]

What some of us are saying is that putting profits above human lives is primitive thinking.

It's a temper-tantrum "well if I can't make billions of dollars of profit off of it, why bother?"

Welcome to the human condition...

and its not above life, its being used to encourage innovation that will save some lives. In the scenario without the product, the life of the poor is still lost. You are not on the "they live" side like you seem to think you are.

 

[Type Username Here]

Welcome to the human condition...

and its not above life, its being used to encourage innovation that will save some lives. In the scenario without the product, the life of the poor is still lost. You are not on the "they live" side like you seem to think you are.

What human condition? I'm tired of you and your kind saying this bullshyt saying. What philosophical, physiological, or biological proof do you have that this is the "human condition"?

I just showed you a historical initiative, not based on any substantial profit, where the entire world got together to eradicate a deadly disease.

Stop throwing out empty phrases like it means something. Show me some god damn proof.

 

[ill]

Do what they do with defense contractors: if it's vital to national security and wellbeing of the populace, it should be nationalized and subsidized. Lockheed Martin do just fine when their creations are nationalized.

I see but I think theres a fault in your argument. Top secret DoD projects that are bought up from Lockheed, Raytheon, etc. are held and used by only the elite in the military and they don't share the technology with the rest of the world. They only share sometimes and its usually with our best allies. Would you want our Govt holding key vaccines in this form as well?

 

[DEAD7]

What human condition? I'm tired of you and your kind saying this bullshyt saying. What philosophical, physiological, or biological proof do you have that this is the "human condition"?

I just showed you a historical initiative, not based on any substantial profit, where the entire world got together to eradicate a deadly disease.

Stop throwing out empty phrases like it means something. Show me some god damn proof.

The profit margin has produced countless advance, you point to one act of altruism and go look see, this is ho wit really is?
and then ask for proof that greed/selfishness are part of the human condition?





While I'm sure I could easily produce 10 examples of personal greed facilitating good for every one altruistic good, we both know that wont change your mind. Altruism reigns supreme, period . This is the biggest hurdle when arguing an emotional point.

Lets just try to stick to the facts, this company made this drug for profit, without this profit motive they dont make the drug. Period.
Now is no one getting this drug and no one living preferable to some getting it and some living?


Keep in mind the price will fall... its not a forever out of the reach of the poor scenario...

 

[Type Username Here]

I see but I think theres a fault in your argument. Top secret DoD projects that are bought up from Lockheed, Raytheon, etc. are held and used by only the elite in the military and they don't share the technology with the rest of the world. They only share sometimes and its usually with our best allies. Would you want our Govt holding key vaccines in this form as well?

My point in bringing up defense was solely to counter the point that nationalizing private interests is not a death blow to a company. Those companies are top earning companies. They continue to innovate even though if they could sell to the entire world without a problem, their profits would increase exponentially. The US government makes it illegal for them to do so and they do just fine. Thus, the argument that you and others made in this regard do not hold any weight.

 

[Type Username Here]

The profit margin has produced countless advance, you point to one act of altruism and go look see, this is ho wit really is?

One act of altruism? A lot of human advance in knowledge and society has been done outside the scope of profit margins. You care to debate this point?

and then ask for proof that greed/selfishness are part of the human condition?

That's exactly what I'm asking for. Are you going to provide some scientific proof? Or are you going to reference lions and other primitive animals as your kind always end up doing?