The Costs of Pharmaceutical Development

Humankind has reaped extraordinary benefits from the pharmacological revolution of the twentieth century. Conditions such as poliomyelitis, diphtheria and whooping cough have been largely eliminated in developed countries by immunization. Many lethal communicable diseases can be readily cured with antimicrobial agents. And drugs have improved the quality of life for many people with chronic diseases to an extent that would have been unthinkable in the nineteenth century (p. 360). 

However, as he points out, this is no time to rest on our laurels There are massive unmet medical needs in both developing and developed countries. For example, effective vaccines are needed for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson s disease and Alzheimer s disease are relatively poorly serviced by current pharmacological therapy. 

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