Okay, Hale's company gets the start up money from charities instead of banks, but I consider this a good investment, if this company actually will be able to make enough money to have all the expenses coveret, it will become self-sustaining.

I agree it would be great if they could become self-sustaining.  However, even if they can't, I would think it's a good model to raise charitable contributions to make up the difference,  for this kind of drug development.  I would certainly feel great about using part of my charity dollars to support drugs that would otherwise not be developed to be developed--and I think others would as well.  And with truely huge donations being made by Buffet and Gates, and of course foundations such as Kresge and many other that have gone on for years, far bigger dollars than my paltry contributions are available.

In my view, which I know may not be broadly shared here at ET, we have plenty of pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies that have the objective of developing life saving products (see heart valves, angioplasty catheters, pacemakers, defibrillators, stents, Lipitor, etc. etc.) and making a profit.  But there are products that are needed such as Victoria Hale has identified, that can not be developed and make a profit, due to the target customer set being incredibly poor.  So this seems a great opportunity for those who have earned their money in free market systems, to give back to others, through this kind of model.

And I don't think it will be reasonable for Ms Hale's company to break even--given the costs that I mentioned earlier for clinical trials and drug development.  maybe for the "long hanging fruit" products she'll get a head start since other companies have done a lot of the work--but even then, won't clinical trials be required?  and then there are other diseases in the 3rd world that I think are going to need much more spending for drug development.  So I think this charity raising model could be great.

ahhh, and after so much agreement all day,,,I hesitate to make this comment, but must,,,,I know it will not surprise you.  I think you are tarring a lot of good people with a broad brush with your negative comments on business.  Yes there are some bad actors in business, just like anywhere else in life.  but imho you are generalizing from a small set of bad actors and smearing a lot of good people.  

And it is the exception, not the rule, for a company to double its earnings from one year to the next,,,though I know the energy companies likely did it this year.  i don't have the numbers yet, but in the US I imagine earnings grew something like 12--22%, on average.

Happy New Year  -:)