Comments on: Abbott Ups the Ante in Thailand Patent-Breaking

By: Stephen Albainy-Jenei

Stephen Albainy-Jenei — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:11:08 +0000

re Costs of Drug Development:

I agree that it is difficult to accurately assess the total costs for drug development. A study by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development showed the average cost of developing a new prescription drug was $802 million in 2001, more than double the cost in 1987.

However, some consumer groups argue that the study “ignores the fact that some of the drug development costs are tax deductible and that some of the research is subsidized by the government through NIH” (New York Times, 12/1/01). They also argue that the study “focused too much” on new drugs when many treatments that reach the market each year “are updated versions of existing medicines.”

In addition, the $802 million figure includes $403 million that a pharmaceutical company might lose by “not having invested in something more reliable” than “risky” drug development, which advocates said “should not be figured” into the cost of drug development (AP/Nando Times, 11/30/01).

Ed.

By: Tyler

Tyler — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:54:49 +0000

Your number for the cost of developing a new drug, often quoted in arguments like yours, is both misleading and inaccurate. Pharmaceutical companies have inflated this number by conflating costs for marketing research with those costs incurred for the actual biomedical research needed to develop a new drug. The actual cost for developing a drug, with only biomedical research included on the tab, is on average around $200 billion, or roughly a quarter of the number you’ve put up in this post.

By: Patent Baristas » Abbott Tries New Approach to Kaletra/Aluvia Pricing

Patent Baristas » Abbott Tries New Approach to Kaletra/Aluvia Pricing — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:00:23 +0000

[...] Abbott Laboratories announced that it would not launch new medicines in Thailand in response to the military-installed government’s decision not to honor the company’s [...]

By: GB

GB — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:25:01 +0000

Would other countries use this as an excuse?? Sounds like a good escape route, if the government wants it.

By: Biotech Blog » Abbott Gets Tough with Thailand

Biotech Blog » Abbott Gets Tough with Thailand — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 20:17:42 +0000

[...] Abbott Gets Tough with Thailand In response to Thailand’s decision to issue compulsory licenses for Kaletra and for Plavix, effectively bypassing their patents by purchasing generic versions from India, Abbott has responded by redusing to launch any new drugs in Thailand. [...]