How to Speed Up the Next Medical Breakthrough
Research is uncovering policies that can encourage for-profit innovators to tackle high-impact problems.
How to Speed Up the Next Medical BreakthroughPaper Do Firms Underinvest in Long-Term Research? Evidence from Cancer Clinical Trials
We investigate whether private research investments are distorted away from long-term projects. Our theoretical model highlights two potential sources of this distortion: short-termism and the fixed patent term. Our empirical context is cancer research, where clinical trials -- and hence, project durations -- are shorter for late-stage cancer treatments relative to early-stage treatments or cancer prevention. Using newly constructed data, we document several sources of evidence that together show private research investments are distorted away from long-term projects. The value of life-years at stake appears large. We analyze three potential policy responses: surrogate (non-mortality) clinical-trial endpoints, targeted R&D subsidies, and patent design.
Published in: American Economic Review
- Authored by
- 2015
- Healthcare
Read the Research in Chicago Booth Review