A lot of research springs out of discovery from individual scientists, or small teams. These can then form a company in order to keep developing this drug or treatment, but will need to acquire funds and then drive the clinical pipeline with at least three major clinical trials.
Most so-called candidates you find in active clinical trials are always presenting themselves as a more effective way to treat a certain illness, or a completely new treatment for an illness that doesn't have effective cures or management therapies at this moment--there are many.
Each clinical trial can by itself take months or years to complete. That's not counting the preparatory work before as well as the complementary work after they finish. And this is assuming the company or group of people involved are constantly able to raise millions upon millions of dollars in capital to pay for this.
The big pharmaceutical companies draw benefit from their financial muscle, administrative power, and absolute knowledge on regulatory demands. So their pipelines are more streamlined, yet still take years upon years.
The Covid vaccines were extraordinary circumstances. They are not good examples of the timelines involved, because nearly every resource available was availed to that research and approval. Which meant everything else that was next in line got bumped down or to the side, and thus delayed.
Why does it take all this time? Because we have placed high demands on treatment being safe and effective, or at least not immediately dangerous to the patient.
Rahf t1_j2d6v85 wrote
Reply to comment by TheSaltySeagull1987 in ELI5 Why aren't we curing more degenerative diseases with stem cell research? by KaishiXYZ
A lot of research springs out of discovery from individual scientists, or small teams. These can then form a company in order to keep developing this drug or treatment, but will need to acquire funds and then drive the clinical pipeline with at least three major clinical trials.
Most so-called candidates you find in active clinical trials are always presenting themselves as a more effective way to treat a certain illness, or a completely new treatment for an illness that doesn't have effective cures or management therapies at this moment--there are many.
Each clinical trial can by itself take months or years to complete. That's not counting the preparatory work before as well as the complementary work after they finish. And this is assuming the company or group of people involved are constantly able to raise millions upon millions of dollars in capital to pay for this.
The big pharmaceutical companies draw benefit from their financial muscle, administrative power, and absolute knowledge on regulatory demands. So their pipelines are more streamlined, yet still take years upon years.
The Covid vaccines were extraordinary circumstances. They are not good examples of the timelines involved, because nearly every resource available was availed to that research and approval. Which meant everything else that was next in line got bumped down or to the side, and thus delayed.
Why does it take all this time? Because we have placed high demands on treatment being safe and effective, or at least not immediately dangerous to the patient.