Moreover, biomedical research firms are abandoning certain diseases in order to avoid the large-scale trials that they require, focusing instead on “orphan diseases” like cystic fibrosis, which demand smaller clinical trials that have a higher probability of success, leading to drugs that can cost more than $100,000 annually per patient. But, with insurers and payers worldwide becoming increasingly vigilant about controlling costs, this business model’s long-term prospects are unclear.
此外，生物医学研究公司正在放弃某些疾病以免去这些疾病所要求的大规模试验，而专注于囊包性纤维症等“孤儿病”（orphan diseases），这些疾病只需要较小规模的临床试验，成功概率更高，而由此产生的新药每年要花费每位病人100,000多美元。但是，随着全球保险公司和支付人越来越关注成本控制，这一商业模式的长期前景并不乐观。