They're making a profit. I never said they weren't. But it's a profit made possible because the drug development costs are subsidized by the US market.
And I know you're American, but you're a non participant in the US healthcare system. So talking about "Our" system is pretty disingenuous.
Well, I was a participant for a long time, and it's still my home - I end up with it whenever I go back, so I feel quite genuine having an opinion about it.
Mak, IP is what makes Roo ster's post off base - the guy with the gun is the US, and if any countries try to copy drugs, it will use the array of IP agreements to ruin them. The ban on reimportion protects their US prices, it doesn't have anything to do with the threat of cheaper generics.
And yeah, there're patent and copyright protections applicable to the same drugs in all industrialized countries...yet they get lower prices for the same patented drugs. How's that happen, if the driver if US cost is intellectual property?