Innovation crisis in drug research is a myth, warn experts

August 7, 2012 in Medications

They say the real crisis stems from current incentives that reward companies for developing large numbers of new drugs with few clinical advantages over existing ones.

Since the early 2000s, numerous articles and reports have claimed that the pipeline for will soon run dry, write Donald Light from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Joel Lexchin from York University in Toronto. Yet data indicate that the number of new drugs licensed remains at the long term average range of 15-25 a year.

The authors argue that telling "innovation crisis" stories to politicians and the press "serves as a ploy to attract a range of government protections from free market competition."

Furthermore, independent reviews have concluded that about 85-90% of all new drugs over the past 50 years have provided few benefits and considerable harms.

And, although the industry emphasises how much money it devotes to discovering new drugs, they say most research funds go towards developing scores of minor variations that produce a steady stream of profits. Heavy promotion of these drugs can account for up to 80% of a nation's drug spending, they add.

They also warn that companies exaggerate research and development costs to lobby for more protection from free market competition. Yet, according to an independent analysis, the 1.3% of revenues devoted to discovering new compares with an estimated 25% spent on promotion, giving a ratio of basic research to marketing of 1:19.

So, what can be done to change the business model of the to focus on more cost effective, safer medicines, they ask?

The first step should be to stop approving so many new drugs of little . "EU countries are paying billions more than necessary for drugs that provide little health gain because prices are not being set to reward new drugs in proportion to their clinical value," they say.

They also believe that regulators should be publicly funded "to end industry's capture of its regulator" and that new ways of rewarding innovation should be considered. "This approach would save countries billions in healthcare costs and produce real gains for people's health, they conclude.

A second article argues that manufacturers should have to show how their products compare to existing treatments before approval Jonathan Cylus from the London School of Economics and colleagues say that the benefits of requiring comparative evidence for new drugs outweigh the risks, and would help ensure that the best therapies reach patients.

Raising the evidence standards could also encourage manufacturers to concentrate on the development of new drugs in therapeutic areas with few or no alternatives, they add.

More information:
www.bmj.com/cgi/do… 36/bmj.e4348
www.bmj.com/cgi/do… 36/bmj.e4261

Provided by British Medical Journal search and more info website

5 /5 (1 vote)  

Rank 5 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Breakup of physician, drug company relationship could improve health care, cut cost

A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, ...

Medications created 15 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

FDA has safety concerns on Merck insomnia drug

Federal health regulators say an experimental insomnia drug from Merck can help patients fall asleep, but it also carries worrisome side effects, including daytime drowsiness and suicidal thinking.

Medications created 17 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

US adviser on board of firm that sold anthrax drug

(AP)—Former Navy Secretary Richard J. Danzig, who has served as a bio-warfare adviser to the president, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, urged the government to stockpile an anti-anthrax drug while ...

Medications created 23 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Acne pill benefits outweigh blood clot risk: EU agency

Europe's medicines watchdog said Friday the benefits of acne drug Diane-35, also widely used as a contraceptive, outweigh the risk of developing blood clots in the veins—when correctly prescribed.

Medications created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

First influenza vaccine brought to clinical testing

Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Switzerland's Cytos Biotechnology AG today announced that the first healthy volunteer has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with their ...

Medications created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1


Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered specific chemical alterations in two genes that, when present during pregnancy, reliably predict whether a woman will develop postpartum depression.

Child maltreatment increases risk of adult obesity

Children who have suffered maltreatment are 36% more likely to be obese in adulthood compared to non-maltreated children, according to a new study by King's College London. The authors estimate that the prevention or effective ...

After a decade, global AIDS program looks ahead

(AP)—The decade-old law that transformed the battle against HIV and AIDS in developing countries is at a crossroads. The dream of future generations freed from the epidemic is running up against an era ...

New immune system discovered

(Medical Xpress)—A research team, led by Jeremy Barr, a biology post-doctoral fellow, unveils a new immune system that protects humans and animals from infection.

Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital ...

The compound in the Mediterranean diet that makes cancer cells 'mortal'

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death. By altering a very specific step in gene regulation, this compound essentially re-educates cancer ...