[Hammer]

It's interesting to see that others share in my "conspiracy" theory about pharmaceutical companies. It is a conspiracy of sorts, it's just a somewhat different sort of conspiracy.

The pharmaceutical industry is no different than any other industry in that it's main function is to make money. Every industry exists to make money. Regardless of what that industry manufactures, their product isn't their focus....money is.

I don't know anything about the diabetes industry, but like any other disease driven industry, it's the money that determines it's survival.

I once had to service an office machine in an office at the one of the large cancer foundations. While I was there I noticed some things that seemed odd. The office was plush with nice carpeting on the floor, nice artwork on the walls, a fancy desk, and there was a full bar in the office that was cloaked by folding doors. I asked why there was a bar in a business office. The executive who worked there told me it was for clients....they'd come in and discuss how to raise money and have a few drinks. Your donations to this foundation went for things like this bar, the office, and for the executive who plied the clients with booze. Their whole operation was geared toward making money, not in using the money for research.

There's no question in my mind that if the established foundations have a say in it, they will never find a cure for diabetes, cancer, the common cold, and any other high profit diseases out there. There's too much money at stake.

Think about it....how much money do the drug companies make off of cold remedies? You know, the over the counter, totally useless medicines that don't cure anything. Each year they rake in billions of dollars for these do-nothing cold medications. Now suppose some scientist working in the Amazon rain forest discovers an herb that totally cures the common cold, and this herb can be made into a pill that requires you to take one, and the next day your cold is completely cured. Let's say this pill cost 15¢ to produce, with an on the shelf price of $1. How much money do you think the drug companies would lose if they marketed this pill? What do you think would happen to the cure? It would disappear.

The same thing would happen to any other "cure" that might come about. The only way a cure will be found and reach the people is if it's discovered by a small private research company working alone. A small research company has no interest in the existing drug market, so whatever they discover would be their mainstay...their big seller, so it would benefit them to market it.

Drug companies think we're all stupid....that we're blind to what they're doing, but we see it every day. The over priced test strips, insulin, pills, etc. They tell us the money was for the development of these products. That's bull. If it cost them so much to develop these products, then why are they making billions a year in profits? Wouldn't they be breaking even or just making a small profit, since these development costs would be lowering their profits?

These companies aren't about me and you, they're about making the shareholders happy, and if they help us in the process, that's just a side benefit.