Pharma Miracles Slow

The Democrats soon may not have the eeevil "Big Pharma" to kick around any more. You know, the pharmaceutical companies that spend billions in research on a range of possibilities to find a few near miracle drugs that have saved millions from surgery or an early death. Estimates are only one out of 5,000-10,000 candidates make it to human trials.

Well, they're not finding anything new anytime soon. To their detriment. And ours. WSJ:

Some of the top-selling drugs in industry history will become history as patent protections expire, allowing generics to rush in at much-lower prices. Generic competition is expected to wipe $67 billion from top companies' annual U.S. sales between 2007 and 2012 as more than three dozen drugs lose patent protection. That is roughly half of the companies' combined 2007 U.S. sales.

At the same time, the industry's science engine has stalled. The century-old approach of finding chemicals to treat diseases is producing fewer and fewer drugs. [snip]

Patent expirations are a big problem. Drugs are granted 20 years of patent protection, although companies often fail to get a product to market before half of that period has elapsed.

And with their eeevil profits dropping to nil, who will fund and find the new cures? Obama's HealthCare Corps? Hillary?

Biotech offers a new avenue. Back off Dems, before you and your trial lawyers strangle an infant industry in its crib, and send more jobs offshore. Illinois is a leading biotech state, for now.