Aw, come on, let's get real - don't you think that if BigPharmaCo came up with a cure (for anxiety, depression, hangnails, what-have-you) without any sort of side effects they'd market it out the wazoo and make a fortune?

The reality is, science is (still) imperfect, and hasn't yet progressed to the point that it can mimic and predict all of the outcomes of any particular agent on a person it is meant to treat.

That is why there are clinical trials for new drugs, and why trials are in (at least) three phases. The first phase is to determine the safety and tolerability of the drug, figure out a safe dosage range (not effective - safe) and to determine if any side effects are present. In Phase II the drug is given to a larger group of patients to figure out what the effective dose range is and to further monitor side effects and tolerability. In Phase III, the drug is given to an even larger group of patients to determine its effectiveness relative to currently used drugs for that condition (if there are any), and to further monitor safety & side effects. The length, size and the precise nature of the clinical trials depend in large part on the disease/disorder being treated by the drug. But in general, clinical trials involve lots of people, lots of trials, and lots of bucks spent to conduct those trials.

Now, that said, does BigPharma have a profit motive? Of course it does. That is why there are treatments out there to cure such life-threatening conditions such as baldness and erectile dysfunction. (OK, that was snarky of me, those are traumatic situations for those involved ... but you know what I mean ...)

And if the clinical trials for a certain disease are very lengthy and/or involve vast quantities of patients, some companies (especially smaller companies) might shy away from attempting to develop treatments for that disease, or at the very least try to partner with a Big(ger)PharmaCo with deeper pockets. Companies survive and fail based on the outcomes of these trials, so yes, it's big bizzness.

So, it's not as simple as it sounds. Like everything else.