More things I don't understand

[AtW]

However, that would take billions to set up, and essentially, they'd have to start from scratch, since existing drugs are patented. The time, research and cost would be prohibitive.

Maybe UK should have used bank bailout money to buy those pharma companies then.

[Bagpuss]

An insider perspective...

It takes several hundred million and the best part of a decade to bring a drug as far as reelase to the market. Most drugs don't make it that far with millions already spent, so it requires a monumental investment and effort. You have a limited patent before companies that have invested nothing can generically copy your drug. Without the pharmas many of these medicines would never see the light of day.

Then people say this drug is cheap to manufacture, why is it so expensive?

[BrilloPad]

An insider perspective...

It takes several hundred million and the best part of a decade to bring a drug as far as reelase to the market. Most drugs don't make it that far with millions already spent, so it requires a monumental investment and effort. You have a limited patent before companies that have invested nothing can generically copy your drug. Without the pharmas many of these medicines would never see the light of day.

Then people say this drug is cheap to manufacture, why is it so expensive?

Amazing then really how the drug companies make any money. yet they seem to.

[where did my id go?]

In France the tax and NI costs are much higher than in the uk. One of the things that this funds is more drugs.

Private health insurance funds lots of drugs in europe and the us.

The nhs provides a service which on the whole is excellent and does not leave the less well off denied all health care - as happens in the us.

In several cases the expensive drugs which have been denied do not have good evidence of effectiveness. I can think of two specific drugs which have had newspaper coverage from vocal patient groups recently.

Yes, sure there are some issues around the delivery of health care, but I would much, much rather deal with the nhs than with the private health care systems which exist in much of the world.