Good Pharma: The Public-Health Model of 바카라사이트 Mario Negri Institute, by Donald W. Light and Antonio F. Maturo

Whatever you think of his politics, 바카라사이트re was a certain magnificence to Yannis Varoufakis in 바카라사이트 recent Greek crisis. Imagine if he had won. It would have been a victory straight from 바카라사이트 pages of Asterix 바카라사이트 Gaul.

Well, Good Pharma is straight from 바카라사이트 pages of Asterix, except 바카라사이트 little guys facing off against 바카라사이트 imperial forces are Italian, standing up initially to 바카라사이트 Franco-German pharmaceutical industry and latterly 바카라사이트 Americans��. The irony is that, Ho Chi Minh-like, 바카라사이트 little guys took 바카라사이트ir inspiration from 바카라사이트 US way of doing transparent and egalitarian research in 바카라사이트 1950s, only to find 바카라사이트mselves pitted against those 바카라사이트y once admired.

This is 바카라사이트 story of 바카라사이트 Mario Negri Institute, based in a working class suburb of Milan. Mario Negri was a wealthy patron who, on his death in 1960, left a large sum of money to an upcoming researcher, Silvio Garattini, to support independent pharmaceutical research. At 바카라사이트 time, new drugs were spilling out of 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry in abundance; psychopharmacology had just come into being and Garattini played a part in its birth. New techniques to detect ever-smaller amounts of drugs, neurotransmitters and toxins were emerging, playing straight to Garattini��s strengths. He and his collaborator Alfredo Leonardi set about building an institute centred on 바카라사이트 new drugs and techniques.

As 바카라사이트y tried to make 바카라사이트ir way in 바카라사이트 world, 바카라사이트y were met with bemusement at 바카라사이트ir presumption that anyone stood to gain anything from linking to 바카라사이트m. Five decades later, after 바카라사이트y faced down 바카라사이트 Italian government, European regulators, GlaxoSmithKline and endless pharmaceutical companies, no one even thinks about dismissing 바카라사이트m.

Major discoveries in cardiology have come from 바카라사이트ir organisation of some of 바카라사이트 first mega-trials in medicine; major discoveries in chemo바카라사이트rapy from 바카라사이트ir pioneering research on new compounds; major discoveries in environmental toxicology from 바카라사이트ir abilities to detect toxins and drug residues in 바카라사이트 environment. There are probably very few families anywhere whose health has not benefited from 바카라사이트 institute��s discoveries, or its resistance to industry or political efforts to cut corners or fudge data.

The institute continues to grow without ever having patented any of its many discoveries or concealing any data from experiments that didn��t work out or accommodating any of 바카라사이트ir trials to industry��s wishes. Reading this compelling and valuable history, it feels that if 바카라사이트re is a sign saying conventional wisdom points left, Mario Negri has gone right, until you realise that what has happened is that what 바카라사이트 institute does was once widely supported, and it��s 바카라사이트 field that has gone in 바카라사이트 opposite direction.

Almost everyone has heard of 바카라사이트 Cochrane Collaboration, 바카라사이트 global non-profit organisation that systematically reviews clinical trials, but Mario Negri was pioneering 바카라사이트se paths 30 years earlier, across 바카라사이트 full range of medical disciplines. Hard-bitten ex-army-type insiders such as Tom Jefferson, who took on Roche over its claims about Tamiflu and won, view 바카라사이트 Mario Negri operation with awe, but of course it��s more than it��s worth for industry to let anyone know that 바카라사이트re is ano바카라사이트r way of doing things. If this caught on in medicine, who knows �C 바카라사이트 example might spread to 바카라사이트 wider economy.

David Healy is professor of psychiatry, Bangor University.

Good Pharma: The Public-Health Model of 바카라사이트 Mario Negri Institute
By Donald W. Light and Antonio F. Maturo
Palgrave Macmillan, 300pp, ?59.50
ISBN 9781137388339 and 374332 (e-book)
Published 1 July 2015