There are certainties in our lives. We accept them. We usually don’t complain about them as we understand they are a certainty. Complaining would be a waste of time. There are certainties in the medical world many of us have come to live with. We know, for instance, that the most important driving force for drug companies is profit.

The companies that make our rheumatoid arthritis drugs are successful at this. They make billions on these drugs. The companies selling drugs for the autoimmune diseases have found the golden goose.

Why would they ever want to find a cure for rheumatoid arthritis when they can sell us expensive drugs for 20-30 years of our lives?

• The drug companies do not want to find a cure for our autoimmune diseases.

The drug companies are on the fence about being able to determine the effectiveness of a drug for a particular individual. Why would they care?

• The drug companies do not want to have their market limited by a determination that their drug will not work for some people. They would rather have you try them all.

The autoimmune drugs are dangerous and even fatal for some who take them. The drug companies admit as much in their literature.

• Paying a few million for each wrongful death suit is a small price to pay for the gigantic profits drug companies make.

The drug companies deserve their profits because they did the research.

• The RA Drug companies’ profits are in the billions. Actemra was developed by a Japanese scientist for a Japanese firm. They were not subsidized by our government.

It is time for us to stop rehashing these issues. I am on Actemra. I know it could kill me. I take it because it helps. I take it because I cannot bear living in the constant flare I was living.  I don’t care about drug company motives. I know them. I just need relief.

I know I might sound harsh to some. But I feel we need to accept where we are at. We are luckier than those who came before us. They suffered an excruciatingly painful life. Deformed. Hopeless. We do have medications that help. Some are not expensive. The ones that are expensive are accessible for many. I pay $11 a month for my Actemra at the VA. Many drug companies have coupons for those not on Medicare, government or VA programs. There is Medicaid. There are other financial assistance programs.

When my rheumatologist worked in the local Presbyterian Hospital system, the co-pay for my biologic  was $300. 00 a month. However, my Doc ordered the biologic by infusion which my insurance plan paid. It is common so you might check it out.

We have a challenging disease and we do need to vent. But we need to be careful our venting doesn’t displace managing our disease.