"Lets look at a very extreme case. What if one company develops a cure for all forms of cancer, and they won't release the secret (let's assume our hypothetical country has no drug regulations), and they charge $100k for treatment. Is it wrong for the government to step in and regulate?"
Twelve different companies which were researching the cure for aging silently shut down...
>Twelve different companies which were researching the cure for aging silently shut down...
Maybe. But is the possibility that one of those companies maybe might someday develop a breakthrough justify the preventable deaths of millions of people right now?
And would they really shut down? Any company that produces a truly miraculous cure has to know that government will step in sooner or later. People aren't going to sit by while a company hands out the cure for aging to only the super wealthy. Surely a company researching the cure for aging would have taken this possibility into account before starting.
Medical breakthroughs aren't a linear function of funding. What if making medicine more available slightly slows new drug development but drastically increases quality of life for most people? Would that be worth it?
"Surely a company researching the cure for aging would have taken this possibility into account before starting."
That only reinforces my point. Several of them never get started, much more silently.
"Medical breakthroughs aren't a linear function of funding. What if making medicine more available slightly slows new drug development but drastically increases quality of life for most people? Would that be worth it?"
That's a very good point, if actually progress is not that much dependant on cash.
Twelve different companies which were researching the cure for aging silently shut down...