[logfromblammo]

I think it would probably work out better to have a 15% excise tax on all pharmaceutical chemicals and preparations, charged on the wholesale price, collected at the shipping dock of the manufacturer or at the port of entry. This would go exclusively to fund a "research royalty" to the individuals who conduct drug research into utility, safety, and efficacy.

I don't have any specifics as to how that would be distributed, but it should likely emphasize the importance of replication and value purity of the methods over whether the results are positive or negative.

Right now, there are significant financial incentive that may bias research studies towards positive results. The patent system is magnifying those incentives.