One of the things I find most frustrating about the development of new drugs is that the Universities and other public institutions which carry out all the initial and most expensive research, don’t take the development of the drug through to the end point. Too often new medicines which have been heavily invested in with public money, are bought and patented by the big pharmaceutical companies, and then by the time they reach the market the prices are so high that they’re not accessible to the vast majority of those who need them. Seeing a university like Imperial deciding to keep a patent on a new drug is fantastic news. Hopefully, this will pioneer a new way of thinking about the development of new drugs. As Shaunak says, “What we have been struck by is that once we have started to do it, it is not so difficult.”

Medicines developed primarily with public money, for the health of the public should be affordable and accessible to the public. Here’s hoping this new development will start to see this logic becoming a reality. Be warned though, developments like this which have the potential to undermine the profits of the large pharmaceutical companies will not be met without resistance. Let’s watch this space…