Patents, Policies, Promises, and Other Problems

April 11, 2006

Wired magazine has an interesting interview with Dr. Mahendra Rao, leader of the stem-cell unit at the NIH’s National Institute on Aging. Rao claims to be leaving for the private sector because of President Bush’s “restrictive embryonic stem-cell policy” but he also mentions the “patent situation” as one of the reasons the field has “slowed down.”

The most insightful section, though, is his admission that there is a danger in overhyping ESC research:

WN: If scientists recognize the public doesn’t really understand more complicated uses for stem cells, they often emphasize the potential disease cures. Do you think that’s dangerous and creates hype that might never be lived up to in the minds of the public?

Rao: Yes, and I think it’s not just the public that’s to blame — it’s the scientists as well. The public understands these things, provided somebody takes the time to explain, but nobody has told the public how long it takes to bring a drug to market. Let’s say we really had a breakthrough today — it takes eight years to 10 years to go through an approval process before they can provide that product to the public. The FDA has said cells as therapy are also a drug and (need) the same sort of regulatory process as drugs, and we can’t be promising people that this will happen next year or the year after, unless the regulations are changed. If you get money or support with false premises, there’s always a backlash.