A few years ago while in the hospital recuperating from surgery, my brother developed a drug resistant infection. Only intense treatment with powerful new drugs defeated it.

Recently, articles have reported the discovery of still more drug resistant infections. Who develops newer drugs to fight these powerful infections?

Pharmaceutical companies, according to one report, no longer are as interested in newer drugs for infections. The reason, according to the article, is because such drugs do not make a profit like drugs to treat chronic conditions. Antibiotics are only used for a short while, then stopped when the infection is defeated. By contrast, those with chronic conditions like diabetes use drugs all of their lives.

This would seem the perfect example of the need for what is called a “mixed economy,” that is, an economy which includes both private capitalism and government involvement. Government research has long funded studies leading to medical breakthroughs in the fight against diseases like cancer. Such research may not be profitable initially, yet paves the way for eventual recovery and less long term care.

Private enterprise is efficient in ordering much of our economy. However, not all problems can be solved with the profit model.