Public research funding and pharmaceutical prices: do Americans pay twice for drugs? [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

In the debate over prescription drug pricing, some pharmaceutical industry critics claim that U.S. taxpayers pay twice for costly therapies, because publicly supported research is a major contributor to drug discovery and American taxpayers are inadequately rewarded for their research investment due...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rena M. Conti, Frank S. David
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: F1000 Research Ltd 2020-07-01
Series:F1000Research
Online Access:https://f1000research.com/articles/9-707/v1
Description
Summary:In the debate over prescription drug pricing, some pharmaceutical industry critics claim that U.S. taxpayers pay twice for costly therapies, because publicly supported research is a major contributor to drug discovery and American taxpayers are inadequately rewarded for their research investment due to high drug prices. In fact, the empirical evidence supporting these claims is weak, and the pay twice argument distracts from important efforts to ensure that impactful new drugs continue to be developed and made widely available to patients who need them.
ISSN:2046-1402