by profit i mean gains in wealth in the company and it's owners. not to produce it, pay the men who make it, and further research. those are fine.

but to simply pocket the money would be wrong. patenting a drug would lead to that. it is the only reason to patent.

of course drugs can't be free (they used to be on the nhs til they ruined it) but they can be as cheap as possible. they can be used for good and not just to make money.