As the Obama Administration argues for increased public investment in infrastructure and basic research, a new proposal regarding the creation of a publicly funded pharmaceutical development center bears some attention. A journalist’s observation that pharmaceutical corporations “have neither the will nor the resources to undertake the effort” for new drug research flies in the face of record profits, yet these corporations are integral to the new center. A close analysis of this public-private partnership in the realm of biotechnological knowledge production seems necessary to examine the potential risks of such an endeavor.
“None of this is intended to be competitive with the private sector,” Dr. Collins said. “The hope would be that any project that reaches the point of commercial appeal would be moved out of the academic support line and into the private sector.”
Go to the article at NYTimes.com