Pharma chameleons

摘要

"If scientists want to do good for the developing world, it's hard to think of an industry where they're going to make more of a contribution." So says Guy Willis, director of communications at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) in Geneva, Switzerland.rnIt's a bold claim, one based on the industry's own estimate of its philanthropic contributions towards achieving the health aspects of the UN's Millennium Development Goals. While pharmaceutical firms do give substantially towards the building of healthcare infrastructure in poor countries, they have also been accused of overpricing, attempting to patent drugs based on traditional remedies and being indifferent to finding cures for diseases of the developing world. What's more, the companies seem to hit the headlines just as often for mis-selling drugs or misrepresenting the results of clinical trials as for their therapeutic discoveries. Yet it's hard to ignore the allure of working in the industry.