High Drug Prices Don???t Accelerate Innovation???Lower R&D Costs Do

The majority of new drug development now takes place at startups with little to no revenue. Contrary to the claim that raising prices on old drugs drives innovation, large incumbent pharmaceutical companies are rarely the discoverers of new drugs. Large companies have bureaucratic R&D processes, in which scientists have comparatively little incentive to innovate, whereas researchers at startups share more fully in the economic rewards of successful drug development. As a result, the majority of new drugs are now discovered and brought into human clinical trials by pre-commercial-stage companies funded by venture capital and hedge funds. In 2020, 60% of new drugs approved by the FDA were first brought to the clinic by early-stage, unprofitable companies.

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