Thanks Colt again.
The main cost of drugs go towards it's testing and development, not the actual ingredients. Your argument, saying certain alternative drugs are cheaper and don't give enough profit is flawed. The fact is, if they were tested and proved to be beneficial, they would be worth more to the companies selling them, therefore more profit.
As colt said, The companies selling alternatives aren't doing this for the good of our, or their health. It's to make money, just like the big drug companies.
The reason Doctors won't prescribe untested drugs is obvious, your being blinded by the alternative companies literature.
If a Doctor prescribed an untested drug, and it caused an unknown side effect (BECAUSE IT HADN'T BEEN TESTED PROPERLY), he/she would be sued and or, lose their licence.
So lets go back to your argument about Low Dose Naltrexone.
You said it wouldn't be prescribed because,
"They will tell you that not enough studies have been done. Even though the side effects are well documented already."
Does it not make sense that it wouldn't be prescribed, if it hasn't been properly tested, for the above reason.
As for asking a doctor to prescribe fruit, you getting ridiculous on that count.
If I had scurvy, my doctor would not prescribe anything, simply tell me to have an orange. Again, your statement implies that Docs will simply hand out drugs, rather than think of the well being of his/her patient.
Perhaps some are like that, the majority aren't.
You are taking the U.S. health care system, capitalism, as being the main example of healthcare. There are other countries in the world that the drug companies need to sell their products in. The U.S. is probably only a small percentage of their overall turnover.
All the European countries, probably the same size of population as the U.S., have public health systems the same as here in Ireland and Britain. They are a mix of, mostly public, and private healthcare. The public healthcare is for everyone and paid for by the taxes, the private is optional. (Personally, I was told by my GI not to go private, as I would have the same care. Saving me money, losing him money... go figure that one out).
So yes, they have to make money. But to sell their wares here in Europe, they have to go through trials in each individual country. I may be wrong, but in the U.S., they only have to satisfy the Federal Government.
This costs money, and I'm only giving Europe and the U.S. as examples, there's South America, Asia, etc.
So, yes, drugs are expensive. They have to be expensive, if they go through trials.
When Low Dose Naltrexone goes through all the trials and tests, in all the countries it needs, to be commercially available to doctors patients, It may not end up being the cheaper alternative you describe. But it will be worth more to the company selling it.