Is the innovation line wearing thin?

When pharma bosses talk about innovation, they are referring both to the research and development (R&D) that goes into discovering and bringing new medicines to market that offer valuable benefits for patients, and to the money that goes into paying for that work.

But the association can only be credible as long as the benefits being derived from new medicines appear in proportion to the investment that is being made into paying for them.

The level of shouting and campaigning currently reverberating around this issue – from long crusades fought by patient groups to angry remarks made by the US President – has reached a point where there is unprecedented questioning over whether drug companies are offering value for money.