New Scientist - Big banks, big pharma, big problems

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Could the cash piles of big pharma be mobilised in a more efficient way for the public good?

There is another way to fund the development of new treatments. Many innovative ideas that have changed society have arisen from the combination of curiosity and academic freedom found in universities. This is where small amounts of funding can produce big results. In recent years, university research has been exploited by industry to produce new drugs, such as blood clot-busting "tissue plasminogen activator", courtesy of the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) in Belgium.

Now, while big pharma has so much money it doesn't know what to do with it, universities are being starved of resources and research funding has decreased in real terms. At the same time, university research strategy is under-organised and there is ignorance of how to exploit intellectual property and utilise patents. Nevertheless, the potential of universities is enormous.

Sadly, because of intense competition for limited funds, academic scientists are now driven to perform predictable low-risk science in small packets that will give quick results in time for the next grant application. The end result is that we have a plethora of small groups with strong leaders that act independently, fragmenting effort. At the same time, little translational research is being performed, even though politicians pay endless lip service to the idea.

The way forward is obvious: inject the money into university research. Experience tells us this can have major benefits.

"There is another way to fund the development of new treatments."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427295.500-big-banks-big-pharma-big-problems.html

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