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Medical research funding may have over-expanded and be due for collapse

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Bruce Charlton, Dr Peter Andras

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Abstract

The continual and uninterrupted expansion of medical research funding is generally assumed to be a permanent feature of modern societies, but this expectation may turn out to be mistaken. Sciences tend to go through boom and bust phases. Twentieth century physics is an example where huge increases in funding followed an era of scientific breakthroughs. Speculative over-expansion led to diminishing returns on investment, then a collapse in funding. We predict that medicine will follow the same trajectory. After prolonged over-funding of the 'basic-to-applied' model of clinical innovation, and a progressive shift towards Big Science organization, medical research has become increasingly inefficient and ineffective. Although incremental improvements to existing treatment strategies continue, the rate of significant therapeutic breakthroughs has been declining for three decades. Medical science now requires rationalization and modernization. From this perspective, the current level of medical research funding looks like a bubble due to burst. © Association of Physicians 2005; all rights reserved.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Charlton BG, Andras P

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: QJM: an international journal of medicine

Year: 2005

Volume: 98

Issue: 1

Pages: 53-55

Print publication date: 01/01/2005

ISSN (print): 1460-2725

ISSN (electronic): 1460-2393

Publisher: Oxford University Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hci003

DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hci003

PubMed id: 15625354

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