DB, MD

3 Comments

    • Pharmaceutical Facts Investors Should Know [view article]
      I find it humorous how many of the posts above consider big pharma to be the low profit, risky businesses. This is an industry that spends collectively 12% on R&D and 30% on marketing. It is an industry that pushes out drug after drug for hypertension when there are already over 50 drugs that accomplish the task well, because even capturing 1% of the market will pay off on the low R&D required for a "me-too" drug.

      You have drug reps flooding physician offices pushing one "me-too" after another. This is a recipe for disaster when the industry chooses to reinvest into marketing crap and into being the largest lobby in Washington rather than on truly innovating. More money is likely spent on lawyers fighting expiration of patents than on problem-solving, as this adds more to the bottom line.       May 30 08:16 AM
    • Pharmaceutical Facts Investors Should Know [view article]
      As a physician I can safely reply to CLH, that the theft is more often the other way around. Typically, the researchers at NIH will develop a compound, prove it works and then license it to a pharma company. Case in point look at the treatment of Gaucher's disease, yearly treatment cost over $100K, for a treatment developed by public research. May 29 02:57 PM
    • Aegerion Pharmaceuticals: Capitalize on Cholesterol [view article]
      The problem if course is multiple-fold:
      1. Just because it lowers cholesterol, does it mean it will lower mortality? The bar for all anti-cholesterol meds will likely be set higher after the ENHANCE trial
      2. Just because it' lowers it better than the rest, does it mean it will do well? Crestor languishes in the face of a much older Lipitor?
      3. Is it safe? Tough question to answer at this early stage in the game.
      4. Will FDA approve it? Will it be fast enough? Will it require more studies?
      5. It is a crowded field and it is unclear to me at least, as a physician, that another me-too drug even if slightly more effective will result in a monumental prescription writing shift away from the more established meds.

      Thoughts?       Feb 13 01:17 PM
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