&gt; In the modern world, it&#x27;s not ideal to create a drug to cure something. Once people are cured they no longer need your drug. That&#x27;s why we have so many drugs like Lipitor and Viagra that treat symptoms but do not cure.<p>I don&#x27;t think that&#x27;s a reasonable conclusion at all. One of the main reasons we have so many drugs that treat symptoms is because cures are absurdly difficult to find while treatments can be found accidentally (Viagra was originally intended to treat hypertension).<p>Funding research into cures is funding your own bankruptcy. Pfizer execs would jump a the opportunity for &quot;Pfizer&quot; to be the name of the company that cured cancer. But the reality is, hunting for cures is expensive with little chance of payoff. That&#x27;s not how you stay in business.