The major pharmaceutical companies. Conspiracy theorist believe that they are withholding actual cures to sell maintenance drugs. Those with new and untested miracle cures are constantly harping on "the X that Big Pharma doesn't want you to know about".
What can be said is the constant advertising of drugs, and the search for new diseases that they already have effective treatments for, but nothing they can profit on, Restless Leg syndrome anyone? The huckstering and cost of these drugs has caused the public to distrust the drug companies, especially when the same drugs sell for much less outside the USA. It puts Big Pharma in the curious position of having to argue that their overseas manufactures are not as "safe" as the US manufacturers and calling on Congress to make importation of their own product by private citizens illegal. This does not buy them any good will and gives the fly by night "miracle cures" traction with the public.
High Tech[]
Regeneration devices, cloning chambers, even the threat of new and more effective drugs "I'm growing a new kidney!" And they cannot control any of it due to the aggressive copy left provisions on the Galan Database. They can research, even sell the result, but if they even dipped their fingers in the Galan Database for clues, Then the People Own it.
This provision has been aggressively fought in the courts and more aggressively defended. So far the intent of the Galan Database is intact.
Magic[]
Magic is causing the big pharma companies to suck their splicers in like nothing else. Diabetes is one of their biggest money makers, can't be cured, takes expensive drugs. $2000.00 US per month! One Cure Disease Potion and you ain't got the Diabetus any more. It is gone man. Hepatitis C cure $22.000.00. Same cure disease again gone. Leprosy, plague, common cold, or cancer it does not care. One potion is worth an Institute full of Doctors. It is also a spell that can be cast for much less. Healers, Clerics, and Witches are walking plague enders.
Magic is moving on the Earth is a real threat to their profit stream. Again legal action to either restrict or control magic has failed. Somehow...Judges get the right information and proof of any legal hanky-panky they have been pulling.
Health care providers on the other hand are eating it up. It is cheaper and it works.
Reaction[]
Legal challenges have not worked. Buying lawmakers has not worked. The major drug companies are at long last doing the one thing that might help keep them afloat, and lowering their over the sky prices. That and Pharma Bro getting eaten alive by fleas in front of the Federal court building has made for some sleepless nights in Drug Executive land.
The really smart ones are looking into getting their own magical types and magical engines to compete with the new kind of medicine that does not have medicine in it.
Mentioned Companies[]
Abbviee Pharmaceuticals is not in the class of those procuring Arcane Engines, and suffering for it. They dropped the 8 week course of the drug Maywork for Hepatitis C to $1900, down form the $22,000 it used to cost. they are suffering along the bottom line to the glee of anyone not a stockholder.
GlaxCo Pharmaceutical -- Your typical huge psychotic American company*. They hired Azarach to contact Shella to get them a magical engine to compete with Blackmane Pharmaceuticals. It is working for them. Their "First Aid Capsule" is on the market and quickly gaining market share mainly because Blackmane even with two plants cannot make enough. They still have a full range of conventional drugs as well.
Next Pharmaceutical --- A division of LexCorp. Making drugs like everyone else, also getting into the magic healing business. Third to the party they have some catch up to do.
This entity is Vague and Nebulous.
WARNING: External Links go to TV-Tropes. A time slip will occur.
- No, it's true. Large corporations that develop away from the founder turn internally psychotic, even if totally benign. It is just how huge corporations work.