this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2024
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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (10 children)

I think many people dramatically overestimate how profitable drug companies are. The average net profit for a brand-name drug manufacturer is actually less than 30% (source). They're about as profitable as tech companies.

That's still quite profitable, but I suspect that if you were to limit them to 30% net profits on their most successful blockbuster drugs, their overall net profits (which have to compensate for the R&D that goes into failed drugs) might not even be positive.

[–] NocturnalMorning 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Why should drug companies be profitable at all? Seems like the perfect thing to be nationalized and/or even considered a basic necessity.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Governments do have the option of simply buying the patent from the drug company (no communism necessary) but Americans have rejected socialized medicine for Americans. I don't expect that they would want to subsidize medicine for poor Africans.

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