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 In search of a cure How much does it really cost to develop a new drug? Who decides what illnesses should receive millions of dollars of research and development money?
The pharmaceutical companies say 12 years of research and a massive US$802 million is the average cost of bringing a new medicine to market. These high prices mean that the pills will never be affordable to everyone. Rich versus poor In 2002 the top ten US drug companies made a combined profit of over US$35 billion. Much of this came from drugs which treat the illnesses of the west such as hypertension and diabetes. So when the drug companies make so much cash how do they justify the prices that they charge? Nigel visits research labs and meets some of the researchers searching for a cure. He also challenges the pharmaceutical companies and asks if they are really interested in finding treatments for illnesses that affect poor people.
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