[mjewkes]

Hey biorach - I would suggest: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9412.html and The Great American Drug Deal, by Peter Kolchinsky.

Specific claims:

- The US pays more for new drugs than the rest of the world

- The US contribution is disproportionate, and is major driver of the drug development industry.

-If the US paid less for new drugs, the entire industry would slow, and we would have fewer more effective treatments.

...

Routine medical procedures being crazy expensive is unrelated and pathological.

[raverbashing]

You're assuming that most of the "extra" money goes back in research and not to shareholders and management bonuses

Given how pharma companies operate, I kinda doubt it.

[mjewkes]

No assumptions. The rand article addresses that directly.