[theprop]

Where did the $850 million to bring the drug to market go? What is that spent on? The drug or chemical itself is often discovered somewhere else, in say a university lab financed by the NIH, then licensed to a company. Rarely are the subjects of testing compensated for being guinea pigs for the drugs. There are also not that many doctors overseeing the trials.

[spullara]

Each person in the clinical trials of which there are at least 3 phases costs 20-30k for most drugs.

[theprop]

That's payments to the patient for trying the drugs??

[afarrell]

I would imagine that the costs are for:

- Paying someone to monitor progress

- Insurance against the possibility that the drug seriously harms them

- Administration for communicating with them

- Advertising of the trial to recruit them

- Paying them cash directly for their troubles

[spullara]

This is more like the list of costs. Missing from this list are the doctors that prescribe and deliver the treatment.

[HappyTypist]

Yes, I participated in one clinical trial as a 'volunteer' and I was paid for it.