On: Antibiotic Breakthrough Ends 25-Year Discovery Dro...

[refurb]

I'll also add that the educational institute who received the government funds out-licenses the drug while maintaining a royalty interest in it. Lyrica came out of Northwestern and they build a brand new, shiny chemistry building out of the royalties.

[s_q_b → refurb]

Why is that bad? Shouldn't the discoverers of pregabalin, who helped millions in excruciating incurable chronic pain, receive a portion of the profit from the sales of the drug to build facilities for future research?

That seems like a well-formed feedback loop to me.

[refurb → s_q_b]

I'm not saying it's bad at all! I'm just pointing out that the academics who invent something and pass it to a biotech company for development get something in return!

[s_q_b → refurb]

Totally agreed. I misread your tone, which can be tough to perceive over the interwebs sometimes. My apologies :)

[_craft → s_q_b]

How much of that goes to the actual researchers vs the school?

[scott_karana → _craft]

Cynically, even if the school gets 100% of the profits, the feedback loop of "encourage drug development, get paid" functions properly. They would only have to pay their researchers just enough to continue working...

[skosuri → _craft]

Depends on the school. The general rule of thumb is about 1/3rd to the inventors themselves, 1/3rd to the department, 1/3 to the school.

[refurb → _craft]

The guy at Northwestern who discovered Lyrica is a multimillionaire. The incoming royalties are usually split between the researcher and school.