Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
In order to contribute to the studies and debates on the Research and Development (R&D) process in the pharmaceutical sector, this paper conducted an extensive collection, organization, and analysis of data on the topic, exploring the advances, limitations, selectivity, and neglect in this area. It was revealed that the pharmaceutical sector is the second largest investor in R&D, with global expenditures of 238 billion in 2021. The pursuit of profits from successful drugs has driven significant growth in the number of pharmaceutical companies focused on R&D, resulting in 5, 416 corporations testing over 20, 000 drugs in various phases of research and development. However, this study also points to the limitations of products derived from pharmaceutical R&D, noting that many newly approved drugs do not present significant advantages over existing ones and tend to prioritize maintaining profitable franchises or market competition over population well-being. Furthermore, the selectivity and neglect in R&D investments are highlighted, with certain diseases receiving more attention due to a variety of interests, including socioeconomic aspects.
João Henrique Santana Stacciarini (Tue,) studied this question.