Follow-on Drugs and the Free Market

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Pranay Gundam

Abstract or Description

The high costs of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry – especially in the US – have been a topic of great controversy. I study the history of prices and competition of the drugs in the US and then ask how free competition fares against other government policies in terms of reducing prices. My emphasis is on analyzing follow-on drugs and their competition inducing effects. The project commences by charting follow-on drugs – categorized by drug class – and tracking the rate at which follow-on drugs enter the market. I then analyze the tradeoffs and impact of other government strategies – in Canada, France, and the UK – to reduce prices with respect to the US.

Mentor

Professor Laurence Ales