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Scientists Search Deep Sea Reefs for Wonder Drugs
ScienceDaily is reporting that a team of scientists will be venturing some 2000-3000 feet below the ocean surface in order to explore deep-sea reefs discovered last December. From the article: "A primary goal of the upcoming expedition, which is funded largely by the State of Florida's 'Florida Oceans Initiative,' will be to search for marine organisms that produce chemical compounds with the potential to treat human diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's."
Classic.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
I don't want there to be any more new drugs! Our current crop of drugs are incredibly expensive, and due to patent limitations generic inexpensive version can't be made for several years. The result is that in order to recoup investments in successful and failed drugs the medical companies charge a high price (and a lot of people think they're greedy too). These high prices make it hard for senior citizens and the poor to afford their medications and this puts a tax on the US medicare system so that we are forced to pay higher taxes. If we didn't create any new drugs, in the next 20 or so years all of the drugs would be out of patent and would be very cheap. Everyone could afford the drugs they need and the Medicare/Medicaid system would be less costly. Also, if we don't invent new drugs we don't run the risk of extending people's lives longer then they are now which will increase the cost of Social Security, a system that is already on the virge of bankruptcy.
I'm not for destrying rainforests or tearing up reefs... but lets just stop making new drugs! Save the future for the children, stop new drugs now!
I personally think they are just using cancer research as a reason in order to obtain funding to do these deep dives and explore the reef. What better way to obtain funding than to say you are doing it for cancer research.