Generics Drug Companies Take on Big Pharma

It looks like generic drug makers and traditional pharmaceutical companies are planning to duke it out in the next couple of months, and the results could have long lasting effects on the health care industry. One of the most hotly-contested issues right now among pharmaceutical companies is the time frame for which companies can start developing generic drugs. Right now the big pharmaceutical companies like J&J, Amgen, and Pfizer are recently pushing for a 14 year(!) exclusivity for moneymaking drugs such as Lipitor and Celebrex because the companies are claiming anything less than 14 years will "crush innovation". Why? Because they argue smaller companies, before they are acquired, take many years to develop a drug. Generic drug makers are arguing that 7 years is fair for both types of pharmaceutical companies and will allow people who cant afford name brand drugs to get the proper health care they need. What do you think? Are the traditional pharmaceutical companies being to greedy, or do they have a point? [Article 1][Article 2]

Nanotech Drug Delivery Coming Soon?

This article on ScienceDaily talks about the future of drug delivery, and apparently nanotechnology has the potential to replace traditional pharmaceuticals...well at least hopefully one day. Although the technology is still in its infancy, scientists have been able to engineer lipid containers the size of a virus that can be used to deliver the drug into the bloodstream, and proteins called selectins can help the lipid containers target specific cell types in the body. Nanotechnology has been getting a lot of attention recently (especially in Biological applications), so much so that major universities such as UCSB have recently built entire buildings devoted to this niche field. Even the government has hopped on board with a lot of funding for Nanotech initiatives and a website. Check out the article for more info. [Link]