> this Guardian article doesn't mention R&D at all

This pisses me off so much. Journalists are supposed to do thorough research so they can accurately inform the public. Instead, we see articles like this. How can we have a thoughtful discussion about serious issues when the general public is so misinformed?

> God knows these companies aren't in the red, trials or no trials

Hmmm, I'm not sure. Here's a summary of the finances of the global pharma industry: https://www.ispor.org/docs/default-source/euro2023/poster-is... Note that 55% of the companies made a profit, and the other 45% lost money.

The average profit margin was 20%. On one hand, that's larger than most industries. On the other hand, even if pharma profits were completely eliminated, drugs would only be 20% cheaper...