Why doesn't the pharmaceutical industry focus on nutritional supplements? Firstly, as natural nutritional supplements cannot be patented, because they exist in nature, not much money can be earned from their production and sale. For a patented product, producers can charge as much as they want. Secondly, it is not in the financial interest of the pharmaceutical industry to keep people healthy, as the revenues of this industry depend on how many people are suffering from a disease. Treating the cause of the disease reduces the number of potential customers. Just treating symptoms, however, is an attractive option for this industry.