If pharmaceuticals were produced and sold like computers

Catallarchy, November 15, 2004

In my Saturday morning just woke up way too early fog, I could have sworn I heard some “expert” proclaim that vaccines and drugs are produced and sold just like computers. (CNN Headline News between 8:00 and 8:15 AM PST [11:00-11:15 AM EST] if anyone wants to confirm or deny it.)

Anyway, if vaccines and drugs were produced and sold like computers:
- Vaccines and drugs would be available at really low prices, and be even cheaper next week.
- If some business-person guessed wrong about how much vaccine he’d sell and ran out, the place next door would still have plenty.
- Even if noone had brand X vaccine, brand Y would be available and just as good.
- I could choose to consult with my doctor or just go get the drug(s) I want.
- I could buy last week’s drugs for even lower prices from e-Bay.
- drugpricewatch.com would list lots of companies and their prices.
- The “open-recipe/free-lab” movement would produce lots of websites with lots of good instructions on how to make your own drugs, including how to setup your labs. Some of the drugs would be of better quality than commercially available variants.

Alternatively, if computers were produced and sold like drugs:
- Commercials would air with “Ask your computer professional if Pentium is right for you”
- Unfortunately, the Electronics and Computers Administration would have just approved the Intel i486 for prescription use, and just approved the Apple ][ for over the counter sale.
- Any reasonable computer would require a recommendation from a properly licensed computer professional who has a PhD in Computer Science and several years experience.
- You will want to check with your insurance company to see if they will cover the costs of a Macintosh or they will only cover a white box 8088.
- You want the insurance to cover it because the Mac costs $25,000 or more.
- Norton Anti-Virus may not be available due to shortages, and the President will make statements about only certain at risk users should get Norton Anti-Virus. McAfee and F-Secure got out of the anti-virus business last year citing financial losses.
- Politicians and MSM would be whining about how computer prices just doubled again this year.
- “This is your brain, this is your brain on Doom 3″
- “Police raided a nerdy teen this morning - among the things found were soldering irons, oscilliscopes, compilers, and large numbers of first person shooter games and vehicle simulators…police estimate a street value of several billion dollars…”