Blame capitalism? Why hundreds of decades-old yet vital drugs are nearly impossible to find
The shortages, which have been going on for years, have typically affected only low-cost generics rather than profitable brand-name drugs.
July 20, 2023 • ~9 min
Pharma's expensive gaming of the drug patent system is successfully countered by the Medicines Patent Pool, which increases global access and rewards innovation
The Medicines Patent Pool was created to promote public health, facilitating generic licensing for patented drugs that treat diseases predominantly affecting low- and middle-income countries.
Dec. 5, 2022 • ~11 min
Nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx is taking aim at the high insulin prices harming people with diabetes
About 1 in 4 Americans with diabetes who need insulin struggle to pay for this lifesaving drug.
May 9, 2022 • ~7 min
Repurposing generic drugs can reduce time and cost to develop new treatments – but low profitability remains a barrier
Drug repurposing can redeem failed treatments and squeeze out new uses from others. But many pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to retool existing drugs without a high return on investment.
April 6, 2022 • ~11 min
What’s in your medicine may surprise you – a call for greater transparency about inactive ingredients
There are ingredients in your pills other than the one designed to treat your ailments. Those unnamed ingredients can alter how you respond to a medicine or even make you sick.
Sept. 11, 2020 • ~7 min
Medical supply chains are fragile in the best of times and COVID-19 will test their strength
Drug shortages occur regularly in the US, even in the best of times. The pharmaceutical supply chain embodies 'just in time' shipping and has little built-in redundancy.
March 25, 2020 • ~7 min
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