Marc Rodwin
Research project
Reforming Pharmaceutical Policy & the Pharmaceutical Industry
Project summary
My research project examines the misalignment between the goals of public health and public pharmaceutical policy on the one hand and incentives for drug firms and other actors on the other. It will propose new ways to think about incentives and pharmaceutical policy, and to respond to key policy issues. My research will examine the source of problems and evaluate the pros and cons of various solutions to these problems.I will produce two major articles and a draft of a book. My research project is interdisciplinary and comparative-cross-national. It draws on insights and methods from economics, ethics, law, history, sociology, medicine, and public policy. The research examines seven discrete problem areas, including: 1) incentives for drug research and development; 2) pricing of pharmaceuticals; 3) drug testing, clinical trials, and the evaluation of drug risks and benefits; 4) the evaluation and oversight of off-label drug use; 5) post-marketing drug safety/ pharmacovigilance; 6) the financing of continuing medical/ pharmaceutical education and other professional activities; 7) compensation for drug injuries.I will draw on numerous concepts and methods in the social sciences, law, and ethics for my analysis. Two in particular provide a useful orienting framework: 1) the concept of conflict of interest; 2) the concept of institutional corruption.
