RxPosed

By Isaac Brennan

Medicine in a capitalist marketplace is a contentious subject, but before we dig into it any further, let's start with the basics. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary's definition of capitalism we learn that to survive, one needs a constant, maintainable good or service that is viable in a free market. Webster also tells us that the ultimate goal of medicine is to cure a disease, meaning the nature of medicine is finite and neither constant or maintainable.

It would be nice to believe the morality of pursuing a cure takes precedence over the manifestation of capitalist greed. Unfortunately, to make an assumption is to wear the cap of naiveté. Take the practice of "gene patenting," for example. As Democracy Now recently reported, "In the past 30 years, more than 40,000 patents have been granted on genes alone."

This is where capitalism and medical altruism collide. Businesses cash in on genes that play active roles in food ingredients, over-the-counter medications, and potential cancer treatments. All of humanity should have the right to a cure for terminal diseases. But, patents directly protect and license rights of and for intellectual property. In other words, they are created by and for people looking to thrive in a capitalist economy.

It would be easy to point the finger at pharmaceutical corporations, but there's an even bigger underlying supporter of this gene-patenting process—the Bayh-Dole Act.

Co-authored by Birch Bayh and Bob Dole in 1980, this bill made it legal for universities to license and sell their research to private corporations. Institutions like Syracuse University can now benefit from the sale while pharmaceutical manufacturers make bank from patenting a medicinal cure.

The conflicting principles of science and corporate economics place a frightening amount of trust in the moral compasses of the individuals running these organizations. That is, if they don't mind leaving society and morals as collateral damage.

The power that comes at the intersection of these two disciplines is one that needs constant monitoring, more so now than ever before. Stand by your morals, speak loud, and hold these people, companies, and organizations accountable. Chasing profit margins and selfish financial management ruined the economy once. We can't—and we won't—let it ruin our health.