Biomedical Research: Are we Getting Value for Money?

Abstract Billions of dollars are spent on biomedical research every year, but what tangible benefits for patients result from this massive investment? Iain Chalmers suggests that the research community has become seriously dysfunctional, that patients and the public should expect better dividends from their support of biomedical research, and that the entire research community must provide better, more effective research or risk losing the support of the public.