Originally Posted By: nursemike
And every flu season fills the hospitals with the very old,the very young, and the immune-compromised-the flu weakens, and the secondary bacterial infection moves in for the kill. can'r fix it with a knife, big pharma is spending it research dollars on anti-depressants and erectile dysfunction drugs rather than newer, better antibiotics, and supportive care can only prolong the demise...and to all a good night.


Unfortunately, economics being what they are, vaccines are not big profit centers for anyone. The economics are all wrong. Spend money developing and testing a vaccine and you still only sell any one person only one dose. Medications that treat chronic conditions, that have to be taken every day, sometimes several times a day, make a lot more money for manufacturers, vendors, and everyone else.

Vaccines are also risky. Spend millions producing a supply and most of it may expire unused if the groundswell of vaccinations doesn't materialize. And, sometimes, in the same year, one batch expires unused and then the public suddenly gets alarmed late in the season. The public blames the evil pharma folks for not producing enough of the vaccine they now clamor for.

Also vaccines have developed their own hate groups and hate industry. There is a core of people making a living riding that hobby horse, raising discord and manufacturing issues. Few other medications have such a long history, over a century, of well entrenched and vocal vehemence and hate.