In a vacuum, this statement is true - research only matters if it ultimately leads to something down the line - but the way you keep framing this shows a backwards understanding of the research process. The fact that we (the United States) perform lots of trials before rolling therapies out in the commercial market is a good thing, not a bad thing. Therapies should not be made readily available to the public until research shows that they are safe and effective.
As stated previously, I do not work in stem-cell research, so I’ll not pretend to be an expert on the specific area. I am a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist and the director of biostatistics for the department of cardiology in a large U.S. hospital system, so I have a fair understanding of the research process. I would like to see some of the studies illustrating that stem cell therapy has “superior results and no side effects” to evaluate them.
I really wish people would look at buying power rather than how much money one makes. It’s far more indicative to standard of living than what is one’s wage.