Infographic time: How and where are medical research dollars allocated?

Ever wonder where we direct the most medical research dollars? You guessed right – it’s cancer – as pointed out on blog The Incidental Economist, which lifted a series infographics from a January JAMA article on the “anatomy of medical research.” For instance, in 2013 the vast majority of compounds being developed were for cancer therapy – both chemotherapeutic […]

Ever wonder where we direct the most medical research dollars? You guessed right – it’s cancer – as pointed out on blog The Incidental Economist (Opens in a new window), which lifted a series infographics from a January JAMA article on the “anatomy of medical research (Opens in a new window).”

For instance, in 2013 the vast majority of compounds being developed were for cancer therapy – both chemotherapeutic and immunotherapy agents. Check it:

This one’s a fascinating look at which conditions get funding that’s commensurate with prediction. Cancer waaay outpaces most diseases in funding – though HIV/AIDS is a respectable second. Interestingly, despite high prevalence, conditions like migraines, COPD and peptic ulcers remain fairly low in funding.

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But this is why:

“Biotech is big,” the Incidental Economist (and countless others, myself included) pointed out. This following chart is, of course, a look at 2011 investment among U.S. companies – when we were still in recession recovery – but it’s a surprising look at which sectors are investing in life sciences. Thanks to computer and electronics investment, biotech is big indeed.

We know that 2014 venture investment was pretty bullish (Opens in a new window)for biotech. But here’s a look at venture allocation from 1995 to 2013:

Also noteworthy: When gauging what medical research patent work looks like on an international scale, China seems deceptively on top (Opens in a new window) – but it’s just based on volume. The U.S. holds the most patents of value (Opens in a new window).

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