ECCO 2017 | Issues with pharmaceutical research funding

Wim van Harten, MD, PhD from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands discusses issues with funding at the European Cancer Congress of the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) 2017 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dr van Harten explains that the industry must become more transparent with pricing, and the value that they actually provide. There need to be new models of cooperation between fundamental research funding and pharma, because currently, the majority of funding comes from public and charity funds, whereas it is the private companies that make money. This system needs to change, otherwise the sustainability of the system is at stake.