The Dark Side of Progress: Is Big Pharma and Agriculture Putting Profits Before People?

In an age where information is more accessible than ever, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to trust everything we hear—especially when it comes to science, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry. While science and medicine have undoubtedly saved millions of lives and continue to progress in extraordinary ways, there’s a darker reality that lurks beneath the surface. What if, much like the media, these institutions are driven not by a quest for truth and health but by the power of money? Could it be that, instead of curing diseases, they are incentivized to perpetuate suffering for the sake of profit? What if cheap, natural remedies, often overlooked or suppressed, hold the key to solutions, but are kept just out of reach due to financial motives?

The question of whether profit drives progress in medicine and agriculture isn’t a new one, but it’s gaining increased attention as consumers and patients become more aware of the tactics employed by industries that hold significant power over public health and well-being.

The Pharma Money Machine: Prioritizing Profits Over People?

The pharmaceutical industry has long been one of the most lucrative sectors in the global economy. In 2023, global pharmaceutical revenue was projected to exceed $1.5 trillion. But this enormous sum raises an important question: How much of that revenue is dedicated to curing diseases, and how much is funneled into creating lifelong customers?

The Opioid Crisis: A Case of Lifelong Customers

A stark example of this trend can be found in the opioid crisis. In the U.S. alone, over 500,000 people died from opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2019. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, was found to have misrepresented the safety of its opioid products. Despite the devastating human toll, Purdue Pharma’s sales tactics aggressively promoted opioids to physicians, resulting in a public health crisis that continues to affect millions.

In response to thousands of lawsuits, Purdue Pharma agreed to pay a settlement of $8.3 billion—a figure that pales in comparison to the untold social and economic costs of the opioid epidemic. This scandal exemplifies how the pharmaceutical industry's focus may be less about healing and more about creating a steady stream of customers who require ongoing treatment.

The Cancer Industry: Cure or Control?

Cancer is another area where Big Pharma is raking in massive profits. According to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, global spending on cancer drugs reached $150 billion in 2020, with growth rates expected to range from 6-8% annually. However, the fundamental question remains: With so much money invested, why has a universal cure for cancer not yet emerged?

One prominent figure in this debate is Dr. Linus Pauling, who advocated for the use of high-dose vitamin C as a cancer treatment. Despite his claims never being fully substantiated through large-scale clinical trials, smaller studies have suggested that vitamin C might have potential as a supplementary treatment to reduce cancer growth in certain cases.

Yet, why aren’t more natural remedies being explored with the same fervor and funding? Could it be that natural, low-cost treatments like vitamin C or other holistic approaches don’t align with the profit models of pharmaceutical giants? After all, a cure that doesn’t require continuous treatment might not be as financially viable as a medication that keeps patients dependent for the rest of their lives.

The Insulin Scandal: The Price of Life

Consider the case of insulin, a drug that has been saving lives since its discovery in 1921. Despite being over a century old, the cost of insulin has skyrocketed, especially in the United States. In 1996, a vial of insulin cost around $21, but by 2020, that price had surged to $275—a nearly 1,200% increase.

Pharmaceutical companies defend the price hikes by citing improvements to the drug’s formulation. However, many critics argue that the price increase is nothing more than price gouging at the expense of diabetic patients who rely on insulin to survive. How can a drug that’s been around for over 100 years remain unaffordable for millions of people, particularly when the primary goal should be to improve access to life-saving treatments?

Could the exorbitant price of insulin be tied to the desire to maintain the profit margins of pharmaceutical companies, rather than make a life-saving treatment more accessible to the masses?

The Seeds of Control: Agriculture’s Copyrighting Crisis

The troubling trend of prioritizing profit over public well-being isn’t exclusive to the pharmaceutical industry—it extends into the agricultural sector as well. Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), one of the largest agrochemical and biotechnology companies, holds patents on genetically modified (GM) seeds, which are engineered to resist pests and diseases. However, farmers are not allowed to save and replant these seeds without paying hefty royalties to the company.

In 2013, Monsanto’s revenue from seeds and genomics alone reached $10.8 billion, a staggering sum that underscores the extent of corporate control over our food supply. Farmers, once able to save seeds and use them year after year, are now locked into a cycle of dependency on Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds—seeds that are not only costly but patented, making them exclusive to a few corporations.

In some cases, farmers have even been sued for “intellectual property theft” when patented seeds accidentally ended up in their fields. This raises important questions about who truly controls our food and whether natural, resilient crop varieties are intentionally sidelined to further corporate profits.

Natural Remedies: Suppressed or Unsupported?

It’s hard not to wonder: If natural remedies are so effective, why aren’t they more widely promoted by the medical and pharmaceutical industries? Take turmeric, for example. This ancient spice has been used in traditional medicine for centuries and has shown promising scientific evidence for its anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. However, you don’t see pharmaceutical companies advertising turmeric-based pills on television, nor do we hear about it as a treatment option for many ailments.

Why? The answer lies in the fact that turmeric, like many other natural remedies, can’t be patented. Without the ability to secure intellectual property rights and exclusive profits, there’s little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest heavily in the promotion of such treatments.

Holistic approaches to health, such as nutrition, exercise, and stress management, are often sidelined in favor of quick-fix, pharmaceutical drugs. There's no money in prescribing fruits and vegetables, but there’s plenty to gain from selling medications for chronic illnesses that could potentially be prevented or mitigated through simple lifestyle changes.

The Bottom Line: Paying to Suffer?

We live in a world where financial gain often takes precedence over public health, and the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries are no exception. The exorbitant prices of medications like insulin, the lack of progress in cancer cures, and the forced reliance on patented seeds for food production all highlight a troubling reality: Profits, rather than people’s well-being, are driving decisions in critical sectors that impact our lives.

The question remains: Are we, as consumers, paying to suffer? Are affordable and natural solutions being suppressed because they don’t generate the profits that the pharmaceutical and agricultural giants depend on?

As patients, consumers, and global citizens, it is our responsibility to stay informed, ask questions, and demand change. Whether it’s the medication we take or the food we eat, we must advocate for a future where health and sustainability are prioritized over corporate profit margins. The choices we make today will shape the future of our health and the planet. Let’s ensure that it is one where the right to affordable, effective treatments is not determined by the highest bidder.