U.S. falls behind in medical research investment

The U.S. has significantly cut funding for medical research compared to other countries between 2004 and 2012, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. From 1994 to 2004, U.S. investment in research grew 6 percent annually, but over the next eight years, it fell by 0.8 percent per year, and the national contribution to global biomedical research dropped from 57 percent to 44 percent. Recent events such as concerns over Ebola may increase the numbers, according to lead author Hamilton Moses, M.D. "The machinery of research and development can move very effectively and you can get to new vaccines and new treatments rather quickly," he told The Verge. Study abstract