The $800 Million Pill

The Truth behind the Cost of New Drugs

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Patient Care, Health Care Delivery, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book The $800 Million Pill by Merrill Goozner, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Merrill Goozner ISBN: 9780520939288
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: April 22, 2004
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Merrill Goozner
ISBN: 9780520939288
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: April 22, 2004
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

Why do life-saving prescription drugs cost so much? Drug companies insist that prices reflect the millions they invest in research and development. In this gripping exposé, Merrill Goozner contends that American taxpayers are in fact footing the bill twice: once by supporting government-funded research and again by paying astronomically high prices for prescription drugs. Goozner demonstrates that almost all the important new drugs of the past quarter-century actually originated from research at taxpayer-funded universities and at the National Institutes of Health. He reports that once the innovative work is over, the pharmaceutical industry often steps in to reap the profit.

Goozner shows how drug innovation is driven by dedicated scientists intent on finding cures for diseases, not by pharmaceutical firms whose bottom line often takes precedence over the advance of medicine. A university biochemist who spent twenty years searching for a single blood protein that later became the best-selling biotech drug in the world, a government employee who discovered the causes for dozens of crippling genetic disorders, and the Department of Energy-funded research that made the Human Genome Project possible--these engrossing accounts illustrate how medical breakthroughs actually take place.

The $800 Million Pill suggests ways that the government's role in testing new medicines could be expanded to eliminate the private sector waste driving up the cost of existing drugs. Pharmaceutical firms should be compelled to refocus their human and financial resources on true medical innovation, Goozner insists. This book is essential reading for everyone concerned about the politically charged topics of drug pricing, Medicare coverage, national health care, and the role of pharmaceutical companies in developing countries.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Why do life-saving prescription drugs cost so much? Drug companies insist that prices reflect the millions they invest in research and development. In this gripping exposé, Merrill Goozner contends that American taxpayers are in fact footing the bill twice: once by supporting government-funded research and again by paying astronomically high prices for prescription drugs. Goozner demonstrates that almost all the important new drugs of the past quarter-century actually originated from research at taxpayer-funded universities and at the National Institutes of Health. He reports that once the innovative work is over, the pharmaceutical industry often steps in to reap the profit.

Goozner shows how drug innovation is driven by dedicated scientists intent on finding cures for diseases, not by pharmaceutical firms whose bottom line often takes precedence over the advance of medicine. A university biochemist who spent twenty years searching for a single blood protein that later became the best-selling biotech drug in the world, a government employee who discovered the causes for dozens of crippling genetic disorders, and the Department of Energy-funded research that made the Human Genome Project possible--these engrossing accounts illustrate how medical breakthroughs actually take place.

The $800 Million Pill suggests ways that the government's role in testing new medicines could be expanded to eliminate the private sector waste driving up the cost of existing drugs. Pharmaceutical firms should be compelled to refocus their human and financial resources on true medical innovation, Goozner insists. This book is essential reading for everyone concerned about the politically charged topics of drug pricing, Medicare coverage, national health care, and the role of pharmaceutical companies in developing countries.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume II by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book When Abortion Was a Crime by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book We Sell Drugs by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Ancient Greek Epigrams by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Imperial Benevolence by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Storming the Gates of Paradise by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Islam after Communism by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book The Night Malcolm X Spoke at the Oxford Union by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book AIDS and Accusation by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Infections and Inequalities by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Principles of Data Management and Presentation by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book The Promise of Cinema by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Unsung Heroines by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Breadlines Knee-Deep in Wheat by Merrill Goozner
Cover of the book Living at the Edges of Capitalism by Merrill Goozner
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy