I don&#x27;t really get your complaint.  The pipeline from basic research to sellable drug generally takes longer than the 20 year patent lifetime.  So it&#x27;s <i>impossible</i> for drug companies to get reimbursed for the entire drug development pipeline.  Rather, at a crude level, the process is split in half: first do the basic research (funded by public money), then build on the basic research and demonstrate a viable drug (incentivized by patent-protected drug sales).  The value-added by drug companies is substantial <i>regardless</i> of wether you think some other organization could do it better.<p>Complaining that drug companies are free-riding on public research is like complaining that the local 7-11 is free-riding on the public safety provided by police officers.