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> How did that patent end up in a big pharma portfolio? While it may sound strange put that way, most universities spend a lot of time thinking about how spin
by xorcist 8y ago
> How did that patent end up in a big pharma portfolio?
While it may sound strange put that way, most universities spend a lot of time thinking about how spin off profitable companies from their research. It's a huge deal and public spending on research is often motivated like this. Universities and R&D companies have a codependent relationship and this is generally regarded as a good thing.
The morally dubious outcome of this is that a lot of research ends up locked away as intellectual property of some private entity, but it's not easy to question.
- username223 8y ago> Universities and R&D companies have a codependent relationship and this is generally regarded as a good thing. Is it? At best, I'd say it's seen as a "necessary evil," where "evil" is much more certain than "necessary."
- tomcam 8y agoIt stinks, I agree. What economic/social arrangement has done a better job in drug innovation?
- tirrit 8y agoHas there ever been made an effort with any other approach/arrangement, in modern times? Any sources on this, anyone?
- username223 8y agoPublicly-funded research universities, along with the March of Dimes, funded the polio vaccine, which has almost entirely eliminated the disease, and was not patented.
- xorcist 8y agoI think so. Funding research is difficult as it is, and the potential to leverage that spending to create jobs and tax income is important. It certainly helps that it concerns an highly qualified academic workforce. Most universities tend to keep people employed just to expedite the process.
- aaavl2821 8y agowithout for profit companies, all that taxpayer funded research would be sitting on a shelf, never becoming medicines to treat patients. In the last 2 years I think every drug that got approved by FDA was developed by a for profit company. Drugs don't emerge fully formed from academia, just waiting for pharma to patent them and jack up the price. Pharma spends more on r&d than academia
- eecc 8y agoPlease provide conclusive proof this process is not consequence of neoliberal policies, aimed at defunding public spending and encouraging for-profit spinoffs, aligning the research process to its ideology
- sonnyblarney 8y agoIf you're going to make such a conspiratorial claim, then the onus is on you to provide the proof. I think the answer is probably a little bit more grey FYI.
- Retric 8y agoSeems likely either drugs would end up being used, or government would stop funding drug R&D research. Saying funding would continue without any benifits seems to be the least likely outcome. Personally, I would be fine stopping all public drug research, but I suspect more people would want to continue...
- refurb 8y agoHow would the drugs be used? They still need another 5 years and hundreds of millions of dollars before they are approved?
- Retric 8y agoPresumably, if they continue to fund research, public entities would then pay to finish the process. This would mean either fewer drugs or more money for R&D. In the end when you change one part of the process you need to assume other parts of a related system will change in some manor.