Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”

Those working in the pharmaceutical industry have known (and the rest of us have suspected) for some time that the industry has no interest in people being well. But it is still surprising when someone in the loop (in this case Goldman Sachs, representing major investors) comes out and admits it.

A report released by Goldman Sachs April 10 titled “The Human Genome” contains this:

The potential to deliver ‘one shot cures’ is one of the most attractive aspects of gene therapy, genetically-engineered cell therapy and gene editing. However, such treatments offer a very different outlook with regard to recurring revenue versus chronic therapies…. While this proposition carries tremendous value for patients and society, it could represent a challenge for genome medicine developers looking for sustained cash flow.

Look at Hepatitis C, the report continues. It is now possible to cure hepatitis C. But the poor, persecuted pharma company that owns that cure has not only “exhausted the available pool of treatable patients,” but even (gasp![gasp mine]) “also decrease[d] the number of carriers able to transmit the virus to new patients….”

Who in the world thinks like that? No, don’t answer, I know the answer.

This issue is all bound up with the issue of who does scientific research, and particularly in the medical field. We all know that Democrats want the government doing medical research, because government’s purpose is the welfare of its citizens. And Republicans want private industry doing medical research, because private industry’s purpose is the payoff to its stockholders. In fact, the cuts proposed by the current regime last year to government research were so paralyzing that even Republicans could not stomach them.

You might think that if government scientists were to concentrate on research leading to cures, that private industry might be happy doing research which would lead to more and better maintenance and palliative medications and treatments, which certainly do have a place in medicine … as I’m sure everyone in my age group will agree. But you would be wrong. Republicans are never happy unless they (by which of course I mean their donors) own EVERYTHING.

I am too exhausted (and too angry) to go on very long today. But I hope readers will click through and check out the comment section. Some very witty people post there. One commenter, “Thoman A Paine,” says –

Doc gave me a prescription for Viagra, 30 tabs, went to CVS, pharmacist says “That will be $1,000.” I says, “What? That’s crazy.” I thought she was kidding, but, checked it out online, she wasn’t, the major pharmacies charge $28-$32 per tab and most insurance doesn’t cover it.

So, being of sound mind, I googled “cheap viagra” and got it on line for $1 per tab, ships from London, it’s OTC and cheap in the UK, but the FDA rules give Pfizer and one other company a near-monopoly in the US so they can charge 30 times as much as the Brits pay.

Farther down the page, after a lengthy discussion of ownership, generics, what the drug may be prescribed for (besides what you’re thinking), insurance, capitalism, fascism, socialism, corporate welfare, and trickledown, there is a response from “ghost7”:

That`s a stiff price, they have a real hard on for profits.

Alecto, Megaera, Tisiphone, there is no point in going after Big Pharma here, unless perhaps in the persons of their lobbyists. They are carrying out their mission of enrichment. The people who are NOT carrying out their mission of public welfare are the people of the current regime. Putting the fear of – well, anything except big donors actually – is probably not possible. Focus on getting them diselected and replaced with human beings. Thanks, ladies.

The Furies and I will be back.

Cross posted to Care2 HERE.