Is it time to nationalise the pharmaceutical industry?

Re:Is it time to nationalise the pharmaceutical industry? by RcouF1uZ4gsC on Thursday March 05, 2020 @02:18PM (#22497025)

I think a lot of issues can be solved not by nationalizing the pharmaceutical industry, but by setting up a competing government funded drug company. What the drug company researches and what it charges for it's drugs can be determined by government policy. If done, it would be interesting to look at how efficient it was vis-a-vis the private sector and what drugs actually got developed at what cost.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Is it time to nationalise the pharmaceutical industry? by eganist on Thursday March 05, 2020 @02:31PM (#22497175)

You mean like a public option, but for drugmaking?

or a drugmaking co-op chartered and initially funded by the feds?

I'd be down for this.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Is it time to nationalise the pharmaceutical industry? by Seenso on Thursday March 05, 2020 @02:51PM (#22497420)

I'd be fine with either, and I think it'd also help with price-gouging like Turing Pharmaceuticals engaged in with Daraprim.

A public drugmaker could be obligated to have implemented processes to manufacture every approved drug. If a maker engaged in price-gouging, or had its facilities disrupted, the public drugmaker could supply an alternative supply at fair prices.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Is it time to nationalise the pharmaceutical industry? by tells on Thursday March 05, 2020 @03:07PM (#22497582)

I would like nationalization if it were split up into a research co-op with manufacturing contracted out to US companies. I would like to maintain some level of competitiveness but also have knowledge sharing across research teams.

[ Parent | on HN ]