Apple agreed with the Beatles to never make music. Then had to pay them 500 million dollars. The Beatles owned apple corps. If you didn’t know.

Well... I went and check it out. I don't exactly like Meet the Fockers either, but here's the thing. The movie cost 80 million to make. It grossed over 500 million dollars worldwide. Need I say more?

>> ^rougy:
>> ^Doc_M:
>> ^manfromx:
Why then do drug companies get a monopoly on their product for so long. Especially since after R&D these things are pretty cheap to make.

I can answer that one. First, patent law. Second, a single cancer drug, from the ground to the pharmacy, can cost as much as $500,000,000. ... and many of the drugs fail in trials.

I think that most of the costs for research are done in government labs and then the successes are just flat-out given to the drug companies.
Pharma is screwing America rotten.


You're partially right. The foundational science behind the drugs is often done at the university level, but the expense I quoted is that which is spent by pharm or biotech companies. Money spent before that level isn't really estimable. It does irk basic scientists that they don't always benefit monetarily from research that leads to these drugs, but without the company itself, the drug wouldn't be made... Try getting a 500 million dollar grant in an academic lab... Venture capitalists are far more willing to make enormous investments in risky drug development endeavors.

I should say however that some drugs DO come out of academia. In those cases, the scientists involved get the patent (along with the university); they get some cash out of that at least.

So that's how the Republicans can define "voter" as any U.S. citizen who makes more than 500 million dollars a year.

>> ^shatterdrose:
I think he has a slight fixation with someone's "milky white bosom." But can you really blame him? But man, look at the hypocrisy when they ask what if another character took off their shirt . . . up to $500 million dollars . . . .


I'm with you on this SofaKing - is he playing straight man or does he really not get it?

"I think he has a slight fixation with someone's "milky white bosom." But can you really blame him? But man, look at the hypocrisy when they ask what if another character took off their shirt . . . up to $500 million dollars . . . ."

Is my sarcasm detector on the fritz?

I think he has a slight fixation with someone's "milky white bosom." But can you really blame him? But man, look at the hypocrisy when they ask what if another character took off their shirt . . . up to $500 million dollars . . . .