"Holy cow... you actually think that?"
No. I spent years in the pharmaceutical business and years learning how drugs are discovered. The major pharmaceutical companies do not simply find a drug, test it and put it on the market. They look at the problems from drugs and develop strategies to overcome those problems with each new drug.
Do you really think that after aspirin was developed that it was an accident that someone came up with tylenol? Do you think the same of all the different anti-biotics? Most drug manufacturers looks several decades into the future, as well as, the less distant future in determining the path to finding new drugs.
And what company was this that you worked for that was willing to work on projects with 30 to 40 year timelines for possibly delivering a product?
My interaction with the pharm industry does tell me they have longer timelines than an average company, but we're still nowhere near 30+ years before a product is delivered, after which you then have the FDA approval process.