IP: RE: Bayer's bad behavior raises larger questions: Dan Gillmor on Technology Mon Nov 05 16:45:11 EST 2001

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "Turner, Jim" <Jim.Turner () mail house gov>
> To: "'farber () cis upenn edu'" <farber () cis upenn edu>
>
> Dave,
>
>      Business Week, November 5, 2001, pp. 40-41, gives another side of 
> this story in How to Get Pharma's Big Guns Aimed at Microbes by Amy 
> Barrett.  There apparently is less R&D in antibiotics than in certain 
> other classes of drugs because there are less of these drugs sold than 
> drugs for chronic conditions that have to be taken for years.  An 
> antibiotic is taken for 10 to 60 days and used sparingly so that immunity 
> problems don't arise.  Drug companies like others put there R&D money 
> where the profits will be.  If we abrogate patents for antibiotics and 
> reduce the chance for profits from this class of drugs, then we are 
> sending the drug companies an even stronger signal to put their research 
> dollars elsewhere.
>
> Jim Turner


For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/