It wasn't always like this (drug development)
When Jonas Salk was asked by Edward R. Murrow about who owns the patent on his newly discovered polio vaccine, Salk replied, " Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun? "
(CBS Television interview, on See It Now (12 April 1955)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jonas_Salk
Have to hope there are still some like-minded people around today working on drug develoopment. We know at least one -- thank you Girjia