You are right, the drug companies make a great profit out of other people's tragedies, and organisation like Cancer Research make sure that money goes to drug companies to subsidise the development of the drugs, that are then sold to our health service. Many of these drugs don't work, if they did work then the companies wouldn't be able to make money. Cancer research makes money, a cure for cancer would stop that, it is not in the interest of the drug companies and some of the big cancer charities to find a cure for cancer.