Сергей Пузанов – Multiple Sclerosis. Everything you need to know (страница 20)

As far as my research into global pharmaceutical registries shows, no company on earth is currently funding the development of next-generation interferons for multiple sclerosis. The scientific lifecycle of the molecule has topped out. As soon as the foundational patents began to expire, the pharmaceutical giants completely lost interest in the compound. The absolute victor of the "Interferon War" is Biogen, with cumulative sales hitting a mountain of roughly $42–$43 billion. Merck/Serono takes second place with $24 billion, and the trailblazers at Chiron/Bayer walk away with third place at roughly $18 billion.

The master key to the multi-decade popularity of interferons is that patients almost never buy them with their own money. In the US, insurance conglomerates foot the bill; in Europe, the state insurance funds take the hit; in Russia, the federal budget absorbs the cost. The illusion of a "free lunch" is the foundational component of interferon's longevity. Less than 5% of patients worldwide drain their personal savings accounts to buy these shots, and when they do, it’s usually for a very brief window. When interferons completely fail to protect a patient from creeping disability or fresh relapses, the human mind rationalizes the failure away by reminding itself that the medicine didn't cost them a dime. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. But if you actually bought that horse with your own hard-earned cash, a single glance under its lip would reveal it has no teeth whatsoever.

PS: The disastrous regulatory compromise signed by the FDA in 1995 regarding another class of drugs allowed Purdue Pharma to market an opioid-based pill called OxyContin to the general public for "moderate pain." What followed is brilliantly laid out in one of the best shows of recent years—Dopesick

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