Name: Medicine for the 99 percent
Uploaded: 2011-12-18T15:01:24Z
Duration: 17 min 55 s
Description: Sad but true: Many of the cures and vaccines our world desperately needs -- for illnesses millions of people have -- just aren't being produced or developed, because there's no financial incentive. Thomas Pogge proposes a $6 billion plan to revolutionize the way medications are developed and sold.

Sad but true: Many of the cures and vaccines our world desperately needs -- for illnesses millions of people have -- just aren't being produced or developed, because there's no financial incentive. Thomas Pogge proposes a $6 billion plan to revolutionize the way medications are developed and sold.

Medicine for the 99 percent

While medicines are inexpensive to produce and can save millions of lives, most people worldwide cannot afford them due to high patent-driven markups. Just ten percent of pharmaceutical research funding targets diseases responsible for ninety percent of global suffering, leaving vast health needs unmet. A proposed Health Impact Fund would reward drug makers for real-world health improvements, making vital treatments affordable for all. This model aims to redirect wasted spending and innovation toward where it is needed most.