Comment by read_if_gay_

Since we’re sharing anecdotes, a relative of mine is a retired oncologist and he’s pretty cynical towards big pharma as well. He’s witnessed patents on drugs for chemotherapy expire only for the company to introduce basically the same chemical compound with minimal changes as a new pharmaceutical, obtaining a fresh patent and of course the ability to set near arbitrary prices again. These “new” drugs could easily have worse side effects than the previous ones, too. Then they’d buy out the committees responsible for setting treatment guidelines so they’d recommend the new drugs, and to complete the puzzle, if doctors deviate from these guidelines they’re liable for potential damages. Note this is Europe and I’m not too clear on the details, but you get the gist of it.