Medical research is broken.

There is clearly something wrong with pharmaceutical innovation.

...the economics of the drug development, argues Professor Kinch, who in July was appointed associate vice chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, are not conducive to creating the highest levels of public health.

Some argue that the patent system governing drug innovation is not up to the task, and suggest handing over most drug research and development to the National Institutes of Health, which already spend tens of billions on basic research.


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/business/a-dearth-of-investment-in-much-needed-drugs.html?mabReward=RI%3A15&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine&_r=0