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* In ''[[Mission Impossible]] 2'', a good scientist spliced countless influenza viruses together into a super-influenza as part of the process of creating a universal cure for influenza. That worked out perfectly, and would have been worth billions. Unfortunately, he didn't realize he was working for an Evil Drug Company. They realized that his superflu would be worth ''hundreds of billions'' to the right buyer, and that a superflu outbreak would make a universal cure worth '''trillions'''. Cue gunfights.
* In one movie which may or may not share its name with ''[[Phase IV]]'', investigation on some mysterious murders leads to the discovery that a laboratory had discovered a cure for AIDS, but decided to murder everyone involved to keep selling existing treatments.
* In ''[[Ultraviolet (Filmfilm)|Ultraviolet]]'', [[You Can Panic Now|demonizing]] [[Our Vampires Are Different|hemophages]] as monsters instead of treating them as victims of disease enabled the Evil Drug Company has become the "Militant Medical Establishment" known as the ArchMinistry. Unfortunately, they did too good a job of hunting them, and by the time of the movie needed a new threat to "protect" the world from - a "human antigen" cultivated inside of a [[MacGuffin Girl|MacGuffin Boy]]. Once it's released, people will have to line up at ArchMinistry to get the cure or die. Cue ''[[Gun Kata]]''.
 
== [[Literature]] ==
* In ''[[Abarat (Literature)|Abarat]]'', Christopher Carrion withheld a cure for a beast boy's condition (his name escapes me) in return for the boy's unwavering loyalty.
* Opal Koboi in [[Artemis Fowl (Literature)|Artemis Fowl]] does this.
* [[Oryx and Crake|Crake]] pulls this one on ''the entire world'', creating a wildly contagious hemorrhagic virus which he then implanted in supplement pills. He had the cure (and had indeed ensured that at least one person was immune to the virus) but had no plans to distribute it, since his [[Evil Plan]] hinged on most or all of the human race dying.
* In ''[[Ixia and Sitia|Poison Study]]'', Yelena is poisoned early on with something called Butterfly's Dust that will kill her if she doesn't get a daily dose of the antidote from her keeper. {{spoiler|This turns out to be made up, though.}}
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* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "Dalek", the villain brags about having discovered a cure for the common cold -- which he isn't going to give to anyone, as it gets him more money if he just sells the existing medication.
* There was an episode of ''[[Barney Miller]]'' where the perp was a research scientist who had destroyed the property of his former employers because they refused to let him research the cure for [some disease] on the grounds that it wasn't fatal and there were too few sufferers for a cure to be profitable. Barney managed to talk his former boss into dropping charges and rehiring the guy, partly with the argument that by the time the cure was developed there may be an epidemic, "with any luck."
* Played with in an episode of ''[[Star Trek: theThe Next Generation]]''. A race contracted a plague and believes they need continued treatments provided by another race to stay alive. Dr. Crusher, however, discovers that the plague has been cured, and it's only the withdrawal symptoms of the treatment that make them think they still need it. The other race are very aware of this and continue to exploit them, as their economy depends on it. While the [[Alien Non-Interference Clause|Prime Directive]] forbids [[The Captain|Picard]] from revealing the truth to the wronged race, he finds a way to correct the situation by refusing repairs to their few remaining ships. Without the ships, they will have no way to get the cure and will eventually realize they're not actually sick.
* Not to mention that notorious time in [[Enterprise]] when Archer decided to let an entire species die from a disease he had the cure for so that another race would have an "evolutionary breakthrough".
* ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' Uther does this when Merlin is poisoned, intent on teaching Arthur a lesson.
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In ''[[Dead Rising 2]]'', [[Zombie Infectee|Zombie Infectees]] can indefinitely delay their transformation into zombies via daily doses of Zombrex. There are accusations that the Evil Drug Company that makes the drug is working to prevent a cure from being discovered for economic and political power. {{spoiler|They're actually causing bi-yearly outbreaks to ensure a steady supply of the parasitic wasps used to make the drug - this also causes the uninfected to stockpile the drug, driving up their stock price.}} Cue gunfight.
** In ''Case West'', {{spoiler|[[Big Bad]] [[Evil Cripple]] Marian Mallon - who proudly displays a giant zombie bite on her cheek - implies that the accusations are true, and they are suppressing the cure in favor of distributing Zombrex for money and [[For the Evulz]]. [[Villains Never Lie]], but can you say [[Sequel Hook]]?}}
* This is one of many conspiracies present in ''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'' - taken [[Up to Eleven]] as the people who control the treatment also ''created the plague.''
** The prequel, ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Video Game)|Human Revolution]]'' has an variation. The company Versa Life, {{spoiler|the same front company who distributed the vaccine to Grey Death in the original}}, makes Neropozyne, a drug that prevents the human body rejecting mechanical augmentations. It is the ''only'' drug known to do this, meaning it is necessary to most augmented people and as a result had made the company a lot of money. {{spoiler|The company is controlled by the Illuminati, who use the drug as a measure of control. Sarif Industries have discovered a genetic code based on the protagonist, Adam Jensen, that may render Neropozyne obsolete, so the Illuminati have the research labs destroyed and scientists involved kidnapped to prevent their control being challenged.}} These actions kick start the events of the game. By the end it is revealed that {{spoiler|one of the scientists involved also works on the Grey Death from the original.}}
* In [[Crackdown]] 2, {{spoiler|the Agency}} is secretly withholding the cure to the Freak virus and {{spoiler|Catalina Thorne}} is trying to pressure them to release it. However, {{spoiler|the Agency refuses to release it because it would depower their Agents.}}
 
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* The [[DCAU]] style animated movie ''[[Superman: Doomsday]]'' briefly mentions this as a [[Kick the Dog]] moment. Lex Luthor has found a cure for muscular dystrophy... but he's holding them back until they can slow it down to a lifetime treatment and make more money, as he's not satisfied with the $300 billion he estimates it would already make him.
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
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