Is Taxpayer Money for Biomedical Research Paying Back?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests about $30 billion per year in biomedical research projects that should be aimed at improving human health conditions, by discovering mechanisms of human diseases and designing new therapies or preventive strategies. However, a recent analysis of the return on investment for NIH-supported research has highlighted a strong disproportion between the amount of money allocated on research and the actual benefits to the U.S. population. In particular, while research funding has increased over the last five decades, life expectancy and the approval of new drugs by the Food and Drug Administration have remained relatively invariable. According to Anthony Bowen and Arturo Casadevall, authors of this study, it is important to start closely monitoring the efficiency of research investments in producing positive societal outcomes. This might help understand how to make the best possible research investments, while improving public’s confidence in science.