IAP Political Forum

I went to a mock debate at my school the other day, three students from the school pretending to be people from different parties, and one of them brought up healthcare costs and AIDS. Then she went on about how drug companies and such can cure diseases like this, but don’t they just give you treatments so that you’re just well enough to live with the disease.

Is this really true? It might be, it might not be but I just have to know.

I wouldn't doubt it. I don't think they have a cure yet, but once they do, I wouldn't be surprised to see them do years full of "tests" before it's available.

That's bullocks.... If they come up with a cure, they won't just give you treatments so you have to "live with it". What a bunch of nonsense that is.

I agree.  It's just paranoia.  Btw, AIDS is not a disease. It's a virus.  Currently there are no cures for viruses. (supposddly never will)  The only thing that is available is prevention and treatment.  With treatments the way they are today, you can live a full life with AIDS.

So remember to bag it!

Companies are not largely in the business to eliminate customers. They want to keep you coming back. Without regulations, they would certainly rather develop long-term treatments that keep you alive, coming back instead of actually curing anything. That defeats their own profit agenda. Period. It's poor business practice.

Modern companies would really rather keep you tied to them forever, just as they would rather spend money researching treatments to minor, but popular problems that make profits rather than focusing research on devastating diseases there's not much profit in treating or curing.  This relates to the "cure" aspect, as again, companies would rather spend money on something they will have repeat customers with--especially customers who can afford the higher price. This is one reason why millions of people die of treatable diseases while companies pump out 125 different variants of dick hardening treatments.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus but the result of it AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease. 


Viral treatments are difficult because viruses generally mutate so quickly the small changes generally defeat vulnerabilities the drugs are intended to exploit. 

While drug businesses are generally focused on increasing shareholder value, in the pursuit of that goal there is also competition from other companies doing the same.  Since the paying customer would prefer a cure to a long term treatment and will therefore pay more for a one time cure than many months of temporary relief, there is tremendous incentives to find a cure if possible.

The free market system  presumes that a single company will operate in the companies best interest and not the customer's best interest, however customer demand for better products and competition will bring the companies interest into alignment with the consumer's interest.    The drug industry, like most others will operate best when there is a free market.

Magic is.

Oops! Thanks for clarifying that.  I was on the right path though.  ;D

[/quote]

Truth.

There is no conspiracy for profit.