We Need COVID-19 Treatments ASAP—But a Perverse Incentive Could Slow Pharma Breakthroughs – Mother Jones
▻https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/05/we-need-covid-19-treatments-asap-but-a-perverse-incentive-could-slow-ph
https://www.motherjones.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20200429_Gileada_2000.jpg?w=1200&h=630&crop=1 A major clinical trial showed that an antiviral medication called remdesivir shortened the length of time that patients are sick with COVID-19, from an average of 15 days down to 11. The FDA had already rushed to approve research on the compound—an underperforming Ebola drug—and the agency is expected to authorize it for emergency use within a week. There are caveats: It’s not clear whether the drug reduces a patient’s risk of dying from the disease, and a small Chinese study showed no benefit. Still, doctors are hopeful that remdesivir will help reduce strain on hospitals and buy time for researchers to develop other treatments and a vaccine. In the meantime, remdesivir’s manufacturer, the pharmaceutical company Gilead, could save millions of lives and make billions of dollars.
That’s how it’s supposed to work in the pharma world: Profit spurs innovation. But it doesn’t always happen that way. In fact, sometimes the opposite is true. Because of the perverse incentive structure of medical patents, Gilead has made billions of dollars by delaying development of its own HIV medication for the people who need it.