www.i-sis.org/isisnews/isisnews11.txt -
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Published on: 10/11/2001
Last Visited: 3/10/2003
Source: "NFU fights seed patenting trend" by Adrian Ewins, Western Producer, Canada, July 5, 2001 http://www.producer.com/articles/20010705/news/20010705news14.html
Public Subsidy of Pharma Corporations A new report issued by the US watchdog Public Citizen challenges the US pharmaceutical industry's claim that drugs cost an average of $500m each to develop.This figure is used by industry to justify tight patent controls and high prices.Public Citizen points out that pharmaceutical companies "cherry-pick" choice research from publically funded labs.As a consequence R&D costs per drug are closer to $100m.According to an internal NIH document obtained by Public Citizen 50% of the research resulting in the top five drugs of 1995 was carried out in the public sector.That's how our public money is subsidising the corporations.