|
I have spent more than a few years working at biotech/big-pharma companies and there are few things I learned.
It takes 12+ years and approximately $350,000,000 to bring a drug through research and clinical trials to market. So yes, there has to be some sort of profit incentive to the companies to even bother.
One of the first questions asked regarding a new compound prior to even advancing it in the lab is "What is the indication and the market?". So very early on, only drugs that have the potential to be lucrative are allowed to progress through the pipeline. I am bothered with this as if you are an unfortunate soul with a rare disease, then chances of a therapy ever becoming available are slim to none, not because it is rare but because there is no money in it.
But IMHO, the whole system is corrupt. As an example, I recently had a yearly physical. No big proceedures, no pharmacueticals, just check me out and make sure nothing major is wrong. Spent 20 minutes with a doctor, had some blood drawn and some tests run: total cost = $1000. Incomprehensible to me how that cost to me is justified.
__________________
gary
|