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Business Daily: New Drugs 

02/12/2009

New Drugs 

BBC World Service - Business Daily, New Drugs

Pfizer's head of research explains how decisions are made on which drugs to develop.

Pfizer's head of research explains how the company decides which potential drugs should be developed. He defends the company against allegations that it suppressed discouraging evidence.

The pressures on drug companies are increasing: from shareholders, from rivals, from government regulators, and from lawsuits.   

It takes millions of dollars and many years to develop a new treatment.

What should they do when discouraging results pop up about a promising drug?

There have been allegations that some manufacturers, including the world's number one, Pfizer, have manipulated or delayed bad news.   

We talk to Dr Martin MacKay, who heads up Pfizer's Pharmatherapeutics Research and Development, about how decisions are made on which treatments to pursue. He defends Pfizer against allegations that it suppressed unwelcome clinical evidence.

Plus, Israel's wealthiest businesswoman Shari Arison who's claimed to foresee the future, talks to us about her vision.

And our technology commentator Jeremy Wagstaff casts doubt on recent suggestions that Wikipedia is in decline.

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