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Drugs for the Poor, Drugs for the Rich: Why the Current R&D Model Doesn’t Deliver

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The full article is available in PLOS Speaking of Medicine Community Blog

Manica Balasegaram from the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Access Campaign, reflects on a research and development system that is failing the world’s poorest people.

The past month has seen the reputation of Big Pharma dented more than usual. The CEO of German pharmaceutical company Bayer, Marijn Dekkers, was reported as saying that the company didn’t develop a cancer drug for the Indian market, but rather “for Western patients who can afford it”. The comment summed up the attitude of the pharmaceutical companies towards the poor and succinctly described what is wrong with today’s research and development (R&D) system.