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Are the costs of developing a new drug as high as many pharma corporations argue?

26th April 2024

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A Médecins Sans Frontières clinical trial to develop a treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis cost less than £30m, leading some to question the cost of such trials for pharmaceutical companies - something they're not always transparent about. This is reported here in the Guardian.

Why is this important? Because big pharma have argued that the cost of developing new drugs is so high that it justifies a high level of profit, and the stringent protection of intellectual property rights. If that's not the case, then you'd expect there to be calls for lower prices and easier access to generic drugs in future.

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Graham Watson

Graham Watson has taught Economics for over twenty years. He contributes to tutor2u, reads voraciously and is interested in all aspects of Teaching and Learning.

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Are the costs of developing a new drug as high as many pharma corporations argue?

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Are the costs of developing a new drug as high as many pharma corporations argue?

Graham Watson

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