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Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk facing pressure as study finds $1,000 appetite suppressant can be made for just $5 (fortune.com)

submitted 7 months ago by Five to c/news@beehaw.org

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[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 5 points 7 months ago

True, but drugs do require some lengthy and expensive R&D.

Starting by isolating a target function, testing thousands of compounds in vitro, hundreds on mice, maybe a dozen on chimps, ~~soldiers~~, or ~~some minority~~... until human trials get approved, which normally take several years, until a drug gets approved for sale... then depending on how popular it becomes, sales may end up being larger or smaller.

Completely forbidding patents on drugs (AKA: government-allowed time-limited paid monopolies), would wipe out all private investors in that research.

Should all drug research be 100% government funded? That's how you get ~~corruption~~ lobbying.

Should the FDA controls —already not so tight— be removed? That's how you get snake oil salesmen (homeopathy, crystals, "praying it away", random herbal remedies, drugs cut with talcum, etc.).

If we still want the drugs to be developed, and be sold with a minimum of guarantees, the only reasonable solutions that come to mind, go through some sort of government intervention in pricing.