An open-source shot in the arm? (10 Jun 2004)

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An open-source shot in the arm? (10 Jun 2004)
CAN goodwill, aggregated over the internet, produce good medicine? The current approach to drug discovery works up to a point, but it is far from perfect. It is costly to develop medicines and get regulatory approval. The patent system can foreclose new uses or enhancements by outside researchers. And there has to be a consumer willing (or able) to pay for the resulting drugs, in order to justify the cost of drug development. Pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to develop treatments for diseases that particularly afflict the poor, for example, since the people who need such treatments most may not be able to afford them.

Article URL: http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2724420

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