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We Must Develop Drugs Much Faster in the Next Pandemic
- jleyank 5y agoI'm not sure those in the PC/software business understand the time scale of pharmaceutical development. The vaccines for Covid represent ideas that have been in development for 10-20 years (since SARS), along with new ways of delivering an effect at a particular site which is of great interest in cancer therapy. They tested everything that was approved for humans, which consumed much of 2020 setting up, running and reviewing clinical trials. In order to do things faster with novel drug matter, they're going to have to take the idea from blank paper/screen, through research, into development, into process chemistry to be able to at least make what's required to do Phase I trials. There has to be no snags along the way in terms of pharmacokinetics or toxicity (ie, the dog better not die). The biological model must hold, which was straightforward for the spike protein but continually fails for Alzheimers. And there has to be no surprise reactions once Phase I dosing starts. Unless BillG has a time machine or can sell luck... As I'm sure he's said in the past, the time to develop drugs for the next pandemic was yesterday. This would give us 5-10 years to get ready.
- eimrine 5y agoNext pandemic might not happen if everybody just sticks to his computer as much time as possible.