Though this is a large amount of capital, the market for a new drug is typically in excess of US $ 200 million (NT $ 60 billion) and sometimes as much as US $ 1 billion (NT $ 30 billion). These markets are long lived, and manufacturers enjoy patent protections for 15-20 years, which is to say that new drugs generate profits for an exceptionally long time.
這個投資金額固然很大，但相對而言，任何一種新藥市場，規模大概都超過 200 個 million（台幣 60 億），甚至一個 billion（台幣 300 億），而且它的壽命很長，有 15 至 20 年的專利保護，利潤回收的周期相當長。