As pharma companies merge, they neglect diseases that kill lots of poor people in favor of trying to make the next viagra.

The idea of giving these companies "incentives" to do research is a dead end. They spend the money instead on advertising, and on corrupting doctors, research, and scientific journals.

We should tax the companies more so we can fund the research that is really important.

Human beings that care only about their own gain are antisocial. We rebuke them, even shun them. It is a mistake to acquiesce to totally selfish behavior from a company. Indeed, the idea that a company's only duty was to its shareholders is a recent change imposed by right-wing domination; in the 1970s, companies were supposed to value others, such as employees, customers, and the public.