I don’t know how much money is spent every year in pharmaceutical research and development, but I bet it’s in the double digit billions. I certainly can’t watch a television show without seeing some drug name crawl slowly across the screen, lapping over some healthy 50-something grey head. Pharma ad spending is in the 100s of millions of dollars.
Our focus on living longer, more perfect lives thank to drugs rather than hard work (read: exercise and healthy eating) is directly proportionate to the growth of the pharmaceutical business and its advertising.
Here’s a thought: let’s put half of that money into developing some energy efficient ways to moving our fat asses around town. Without burning emission-spewing fossil fuels. Pfizer, J&J, Novartis, Merck are you listening? Start new lines of business. If you think drugs are easy money, wait until you figure out a low-cost way to propel humanity and — how about this for an idea — expel something positive…like clean air.
Why doesn’t someone look to develop a conveyance that cleans air rather than turns it sour.