(www.theguardian.com)

275 points swores | 1 comments | 25 Apr 24 12:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.285s | source

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Its own bill for landmark trials of a four-drug combination treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis came to €34m (£29m).

Okay, how does that compare to what pharma companies spend? The article cites some unrelated numbers, doesn't actually compare.

A quick Google search says:

The average cost of phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials across therapeutic areas is around $4, 13, and 20 million respectively.

So... not really that different? What's the big deal here?

Don't successful drugs also have to pay for the failed trials?

Yes. They also have to pay for the $4.2B the companies spend on lobbying efforts in 2023.

Seems like a lot, but in the context of $200B spent on R&D, 2% spent on warding off confiscation is probably money well spent.

Cost of developing new drugs may be lower than industry claims: trial