Goldman Sachs Analyst on Medical Research: "Is curing patients a sustainable business model?"

"In the case of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, curing existing patients also decreases the number of carriers able to transmit the virus to new patients"

A Goldman Sachs Analyst recently garnered a lot of criticism for his note on medical research:

"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."

Once again, the values of individuals (business) come in the way of what is good for society. Do you want to cure a patient once and send him on his merry way, or make him come back for chronic treatment (and a whole lot of $$$)? I like to believe good human beings want society to be better off. But when business prospects enter the equation, its not longer an easy decision for the researchers behind the cures.

Image of doctor with cash Its not like doctors deliberately keep people coming back to sustain business... Right?

Is curing diseases bad for business in the long run?

Is business>helping society? Or is it the other way around?

Do you think business will trump advancements in healthcare?

Thoughts?

2 Comments
 

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