My wife has been on Xolair for about a year, monthly injections (more would be nice, but that is all we can get from insurance). In her case, MCAS (Mast cell activation disorder) her body reacts to everything as if it were a food allergy - even though she isn't allergic to these foods.

They don't know the root cause for MCAS, so they sure don't have a cure or barely a clue it seems.

She lives a very restricted lifestyle, can't go in public places were people have perfume/strong smelling products on, can eat about 25 different ingredients (including a few spices), so eating out is not an option. A ripe banana in the room is enough to set her off and the impact is usually 2-3 days.

Xolair had allowed her to feel like a normal(ish) person - as long as all of the restrictions are followed.

Yup, it sucks to have to inject her monthly to have something that resembles normal and is in no way a cure - but I'll take it. Treating symptoms is far better than treating nothing. But a cure? If shell out quite a bit for that!

Copy paste for those wondering what MCAS does to a person. "MCAS is a condition in which the patient experiences repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis – allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe diarrhea."

>Why would any of the pharma companies out there want to invent a permanent cure, when there's far more money to be made with a cure that is not permanent? Makes no sense

Then why are there permanent cures credited to pharmaceutical companies such as

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofosbuvir

First things first, pharma companies are OK with cures. Cures bring money as well, and some cures bring them patient trust.

Pharma companies aren't the only factor here either. Insurance companies, patients, and governments are definitely invested in cures. Preventative measures are OK with these groups as well - vaccines are one of these. Not all research is by big pharma either.

You are assuming other things bring magic profit when they don't do that as efficiently as you think.

Curing one disease doesn't cure them all, and there would still be profit to be made off of your other sicknesses. Probably especially those tied to lifestyle.

You are also assuming that we know how to cure the diseases we have treatments for. This is the real reason we don't have more cures - we know a good deal about the body, but there is a good deal we simply don't know.

It isn't that I think these folks are innocent - I have anger towards those exploiting sick folks to make obscene profits and the industry is greedy - but I don't buy your argument at all. It doesn't allow for the nuance that actual life has and only works if you don't look below the surface.

The heads of J&J and Pfizer would absolutely love it if their family members didn’t also get and die of illnesses like cancer and heart disease.