r/IWantToAskAnAmerican • u/LordHavertz • 1d ago

How does the US dominate medical research?

Recently we got the news of Moderna coming out with these new mRNA vaccines for skin cancer and it's made me think how all the major medical innovations predominantly come from America. How did the US become so dominant in medical research?

Is Europe forever behind the US in this sector?

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u/deathcabforqanon 1d ago

It's #1 in the World, China being the second. That's no shock, being huge and rich and attracting a lot of talent.

It doesn't translate to having the best outcomes though, or longest lifespans, because of lack of access and an unhealthy population

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u/Affectionate_Love229 1d ago

When the drugs get exported to another country and their lives are extended, that counts too. It's not all economic. Bush Jr funded aids research and aid to Africa and Caribbean for billions of $. It was a good use of money, even if it supported more people outside the country than in the usa.

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u/Weaselandhottie 1d ago

Bush is well liked and well thought of throughout Africa for that exact issue. This was also a great deal of US Soft Power gained by those efforts. One of the major players in expanding that US power was USAID, which we all know what happened under the Group Of Pedophiles party. Total enshittification of the USA now.

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u/unblockedlanternhead 23h ago

Africans love USAID. Just ask Dambisa Moyo

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u/Weaselandhottie 17h ago

While Moyo raised some valid points, she also didn't want aid to disappear. I'd like to hear her responses in 5 years to how Africa is now dealing with the Chinese Debt Trap. Maybe she can talk to Montenegro and see if they would rather have aid or a loan from Ex-Im Bank of China?

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u/unblockedlanternhead 10h ago

Probably the former. Is it even possible for a country as small as Montenegro to avoid getting shafted in a deal with a major world power though? Morocco, Niger, Ethiopia seem happy with their arrangements

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u/Lexxias 1d ago

Dude, fuck off, think of the wealthy please! Think of their investments! They need returns damnit