Future Pharma: ethics, profit, value, social purpose

Future of pharmaceutical industry: drug development, pricing, patent life, patent expiry, generic manufacturers. Social contract between government, regulators, physicians, patients, consumers and wider society. Ethical issues in funding of drug development. How pharmaceutical companies are owned mainly by pension funds with obligations to protect shareholder value (future pension wealth). What is the right price for pharmaceutical companies to charge? How much profit should pharma be allowed to make from a blockbuster drug, or an orphan drug that is expensive to develop with few people who need it. Lecture on future of the pharmaceutical industry by conference keynote speaker and Futurist, Dr Patrick Dixon, author of Futurewise and SustainAgility.