Spending on medical research nears $100 billion mark

U.S. spending on medical research has doubled over the past decade, rising to about $98 billion a year, according to a new report. Researchers say 57 percent of funding for medical research in this country comes from the pharmaceutical industry. The government provides another 23 percent through the National Institutes of Health. The study, which appears in a special issue of JAMA devoted to the state of medical research, was conducted by Alerion Institute, a group which follows trends in scientific research. Dr. Hamilton Moses and his team also note that more late stage trials are being done as pharma companies look for conclusive evidence to show their products work better than their competitors. The Wednesday issue of the Journal also includes OP-ED pieces by CDC head Dr. Julie Gerberding and NIH director Elias Zerhouni.

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