Pfizer was founded in 1849 as a chemicals business.
176 years.
Billions earned.
BUT Not a single cure?
What it sells today isn't just medicine.
It's a medical dependency.
Because curing a disease once earns you money once.
But managing a disease? That’s lifetime revenue.
Pfizer wasn’t built to eliminate illness.
It was built to manage it profitably.
From chronic treatments to vaccine windfalls, this is the story of how one company became the face of a $1.48 trillion illness economy.
A thread on the pharmaceutical paradox:
Cure Less. Earn More.
Bookmark and retweet this thread to revisit it later
176 years.
Billions earned.
BUT Not a single cure?
What it sells today isn't just medicine.
It's a medical dependency.
Because curing a disease once earns you money once.
But managing a disease? That’s lifetime revenue.
Pfizer wasn’t built to eliminate illness.
It was built to manage it profitably.
From chronic treatments to vaccine windfalls, this is the story of how one company became the face of a $1.48 trillion illness economy.
A thread on the pharmaceutical paradox:
Cure Less. Earn More.
Bookmark and retweet this thread to revisit it later
In 2022 alone:
Pfizer earned $100 billion+ in revenue.
More than the GDP of 130+ countries.
But here’s what most don’t see:
That money didn’t come from cures.
It came from subscriptions.
Blood pressure meds
Antidepressants
Cancer adjuncts
COVID boosters
None of these are one-time fixes.
They’re monthly invoices for staying alive.
Pfizer earned $100 billion+ in revenue.
More than the GDP of 130+ countries.
But here’s what most don’t see:
That money didn’t come from cures.
It came from subscriptions.
Blood pressure meds
Antidepressants
Cancer adjuncts
COVID boosters
None of these are one-time fixes.
They’re monthly invoices for staying alive.
What’s the real business model?
You don’t build shareholder value by ending problems.
You build it by extending them.
Every extra pill = an extra line in a quarterly earnings report.
Every new patient = recurring revenue.
Every symptom managed = shareholder dividend justified.
You don’t build shareholder value by ending problems.
You build it by extending them.
Every extra pill = an extra line in a quarterly earnings report.
Every new patient = recurring revenue.
Every symptom managed = shareholder dividend justified.
This isn’t a conspiracy.
It’s a legal business model backed by:
Regulatory lobbying
Patent walls
Disease awareness campaigns
Doctor incentives
Government partnerships
Pfizer isn’t rogue.
It’s just playing the game better than anyone else.
It’s a legal business model backed by:
Regulatory lobbying
Patent walls
Disease awareness campaigns
Doctor incentives
Government partnerships
Pfizer isn’t rogue.
It’s just playing the game better than anyone else.
The COVID jackpot:
In 2021, Pfizer made more than McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Nike combined.
They weren’t selling burgers or shoes.
They were selling hope in a syringe — globally.
The booster model turned healthcare into SaaS:
“Pay per protection.”
And just like that, vaccines became annual, not optional.
In 2021, Pfizer made more than McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Nike combined.
They weren’t selling burgers or shoes.
They were selling hope in a syringe — globally.
The booster model turned healthcare into SaaS:
“Pay per protection.”
And just like that, vaccines became annual, not optional.
If a company earns $1B a year from treating cancer,
What’s its financial incentive to cure cancer?
Answer: There is none.
In business terms:
A cured patient is a lost customer.
That’s not malice. That’s the math of medicine under capitalism.
What’s its financial incentive to cure cancer?
Answer: There is none.
In business terms:
A cured patient is a lost customer.
That’s not malice. That’s the math of medicine under capitalism.
Insulin: the ultimate cash cow.
The formula hasn’t changed in decades.
The cost to produce is ~$6.
But U.S. patients were paying $300+ per vial before recent price caps.
Why?
Because three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — controlled 96% of the global market.
And Pfizer?
While not the leader here, they saw the model:
Life-essential = endlessly billable.
The formula hasn’t changed in decades.
The cost to produce is ~$6.
But U.S. patients were paying $300+ per vial before recent price caps.
Why?
Because three companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi — controlled 96% of the global market.
And Pfizer?
While not the leader here, they saw the model:
Life-essential = endlessly billable.
Let’s talk lobbying.
In 2022, Big Pharma spent $373 million on U.S. political lobbying.
More than oil, defense, or Big Tech.
Pfizer alone has ex-government officials on speed dial.
Why?
To shape laws.
To delay generics.
To block imports.
To secure government purchases.
They don’t just sell drugs.
They design the policies that mandate them.
In 2022, Big Pharma spent $373 million on U.S. political lobbying.
More than oil, defense, or Big Tech.
Pfizer alone has ex-government officials on speed dial.
Why?
To shape laws.
To delay generics.
To block imports.
To secure government purchases.
They don’t just sell drugs.
They design the policies that mandate them.
India is no stranger to this game.
Indian pharma exports are massive — $25B+ a year.
But guess who holds the original patents?
Mostly U.S. and European firms.
We manufacture.
They profit.
And if we ever get too ambitious?
They hit us with WTO cases and “quality concerns.”
Indian pharma exports are massive — $25B+ a year.
But guess who holds the original patents?
Mostly U.S. and European firms.
We manufacture.
They profit.
And if we ever get too ambitious?
They hit us with WTO cases and “quality concerns.”
Out of the top 10 global pharma companies —
Not a single one has prioritized developing an antibiotic in the last 5 years.
Why?
Because antibiotics cure too quickly.
They end the cycle.
And in this industry, ending a health problem… ends the revenue too.
Not a single one has prioritized developing an antibiotic in the last 5 years.
Why?
Because antibiotics cure too quickly.
They end the cycle.
And in this industry, ending a health problem… ends the revenue too.
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