The Small Molecule Penalty

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What’s being said?

The problem is that this arbitrary disparity will undoubtedly divert investment dollars away from small-molecule medicines and towards biologics. It’s easy to see why.

Dr. Howard Dean, New York Daily News

There’s no medical or scientific rationale for this penalty. In fact, small-molecule drugs can often provide more convenient treatment options for patients, as they tend to be pills that patients can take in the comfort of their own homes.

Joe Crowley, Times Union

There was never any sound policy basis for giving biologics and small molecule medicines 13 years and 9 years of FDA approval, respectively, before being potentially subject to government price controls. 

Wayne Winegarden, Forbes

It can take drugmakers up to 15 years and $2.6 billion to bring a drug to market. If a company has to choose between developing a drug with 13 years of pricing freedom and a drug with only nine, it makes perfect sense to opt for the former.

Sally Pipes, Forbes
Check out our Life Sciences Investment Tracker where we track
public shifts in activity, specifically because of new price controls, and
public announcements of decreased R&D activity due to a broader investment environment.