[chollida1]

There are multiple benefits:

1) Be able to pay the best scientists in the world to find ways to extend our lives. 2) To be able to afford to produce the drug so that people can actually benefit from the work of the above mentioned scientists 3) To make enough money to fund research in other areas of medicine

Or put another way, currently no one has found a way for private companies to do cutting edge research, and manufacturing of drugs without having a guaranteed profit stream.