Posted by sid on May 2, 2002, at 14:19:10
In reply to Re: Drug company's monitering this site}Dr.B/Others, posted by cmcdougall on May 2, 2002, at 14:09:26
You're right. But if they do care about the money they make, then they will take our needs into account. The one company (they compete against one another) that gets THE AD of the century will cash in big time (or the cure for AIDS, or for all sorts of cancers...). Competition and profit-seeking make them see our interest (i.e., what we are willing to pay for) like their interest (i.e., what they will be able to sell us and make us use). Their intention does not matter, as long as we get results. Lower costs are passed on to the consumer not by charity, but by the company's profit-seeking behavior. The lower the price, the more they sell because more people will be willing to pay for the med, the higher the price, the less they sell. In establishing their prices, they take into account consumer behavior (i.e., responses to prices), as well as their costs, which must be at least covered. In this process, if they get info at lower cost, part of this economy is passed on to the consumer.
poster:sid
thread:22982
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020430/msgs/23000.html