this paper is not about drugs. Those patents already do have to disclose their formulas.

I think you're pasting this here without regard for context.

"Were the large majority of drugs we use today (the topic discussed) invented outside the profit motive? I don't know the answer to that."

is the context.

Does your comment answer my question?

On further reflection, I see your point: the "context" was drug patents & their necessity, or lack of it, for drug development.

You have to admit that that is, itself, out of context for the original post, which is strictly about software patents. But yeah, at that point it had morphed into something else.

Fair enough, it's only tangentially related. I was more interested in replying to what the other person said.

Yes, at least the base versions of the drugs were.

We use teeny tiny variations of the drugs which are supposedly more effective but are also much more expensive.

Most other countries report significantly better healthcare outcomes with generic drugs.