Hacker News Reader

It'll generate more value for the world, but it'll less profitable for companies wanting to profit off the solution.

That's a general problem in health care and why governments should be more involved in funding and supporting these kinds of solutions.

View on HN

Well, how much money did they make selling probiotic mouth wash?

I'm pretty sure if they had gone with curing all the world's cavities I would have heard of them. The brand recognition alone would be worth more than a probiotic mouth wash company.

Very unlikely there was a miracle cure that was left on the table because founders wanted to sell mouthwash.

It isn’t that simple. Say you believe that you have a miracle cure, but it will take a billion dollars to go through all the medical trials. And at the end, you could find out that it isn’t a miracle cure or could end up having too many side effects, then you are out a billion dollars. You just might not have the pockets deep enough to risk it. A probiotic mouthwash may have the potential for a fraction of the returns, but may only cost 5 million to bring to market.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com