Teva was a generic company, manufacturing variations on approved drugs. A little R and more D. Pharma that has R and D has a cost breakdown of approx 10-15% up through discovery and basic development, the rest is meeting requirements for FDA (or equivalent) approval.

There is a very telling review article in 2006 in Nature by then GSK scientists describing their results when running over a million compounds produced by what is known as DOS methodolgies though 70 biological assays related to antibiotic discovery. Only one went to an early Phase I trial and then it failed. In contrast, the precursor of GSK (SK&F) had two successful antibiotics (one based on cephalosporin nucleus the other on the vancomycin skeleton) in the previous years; how did I know, I'm on the discovery patent of the second agent, which led to the disbanding of their natural product based antibiotic discovery program in early 1985.

Colchicine is used above as an example of a very old drug. True, but for many years, no requirement for it, so all safety/production data long gone. To produce it for drug use in the West, now have to go through the "D" system with clinical trials etc.

The only reason that the Covid antivirals (vaccines and chemical drugs) came about in the case of the mRNA vaccines was building on 30 years of previous work (starting at the Wistar Inst in Philadelphia) and then releasing the necessary monies from Uncle Sam to perform the Phase I though 3 clinical trials with placebos that totaled close to 100,000 "subjects" with 50% on each side in the end. The chemical entities then used as partial prophylactics build totally on a compound developed by the US Army at USAMRIID at Fort Detrick. If you look at the final chemical structures they differ by a very simple addition made by Pfizer.

Basically you still need ~100 lead compounds at the initial discovery phase, to get 1 approved at the end. Dave_n

My first wife was a nurse investigator for the FDA. She explained the process required to bring a medicine to market...very long and involved and a labyrinth of required testing and reviews. As said before...it takes ten years and a billion dollars or more to bring one drug to market...and over half don't get approved for various reasons. The money has to be recovered somewhere.

The FDA gets some bad press sometimes but they also kept Thalidomide from being marketed in the US and look what it did in Germany years ago. The testing...while it can be slow and infuriating...is that way for a reason. Can it be streamlined? Probably so...but government moves at a snail's pace...it its nature.

The more expensive a drug is to bring to market and to make means it costs more...sometimes much more. If the company that develops it can't see a return on its investment...there will be no drug and no one gets to benefit...not the patients...not the company...no one. Regardless of the concept of altruism...it's the profit motive that moves companies. No profits...no company...no jobs.

Another plug for Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. WAY cheaper without my insurance than at my local pharmacy WITH my insurance. They don’t carry everything, but you can check prices without a prescription UNLIKE my local pharmacy.

And all over the world, pharma R&D goes on, drugs are safe by any standard, and the prices are a fraction of ours. Not buying the sales pitch.

Please give me a list of drugs (made to FDA or EU standards) that have come completely from non-Western pharma systems?

China and to some extent, India, make the raw materials that are incorporated into "Western Drugs" but all have to go through the FDA or equivalent standards. Clinical trials to Western standards basically only occur in a few cases in China, not in India.

The standards for "interior usage" bear little relationship to FDA/EU standards. Dave_n

The difference between necessities and entertainment is not lost on me.

I wish you would stop. I own stock in more than one of those companies. When they make money I make money. Lol

No. I have no interest in being nitpicked on one obscure drug or another when we both know the utterly overwhelming number, type, and quantity of medications made to EU and/or Canadian standards are safely used by hundreds of millions of people on three continents.

I’ve often wondered why “We the People” don’t start up our own prescription drug co-op and sell them to the taxpayers at cost*. Most of us need prescription drugs sooner or later and I hate the thought of people having to decide between their prescriptions or their next meal.

* I think I know the answer but I don’t want to get too political on this forum.

LOL, I don't see evidence of very many people skipping any meals to pay for their drugs!!! Obesity is probably the biggest health problem in the country!

"Big Pharma" is not my enemy! I would be dead twice already if it were not for "Big Pharma". I thank God for them.

I didn’t say it but I was referring to the “geriatrics” as my Internist refers to us. About 25% of my pension covers our medical insurance but I believe it is short-sighted to go without it during the years we will need it the most. I’ve made it clear to my bride that we can ALWAYS afford to go to the doctor or dentist.