the.com/pharmaceutical
Chemistry with a markup, sold in the hope aisle of biology.
means Relating to medicinal drugs — their discovery, manufacture, and sale.
from Traces back to Greek 'pharmakon,' a wonderfully double-edged word meaning both 'remedy' and 'poison' (also 'drug' or 'spell'), depending on dose and intent. That root gave Greek 'pharmakeutikos,' the art of the drug-maker, which passed through Latin and French before settling into English as 'pharmaceutical.' The same ancient root underlies 'pharmacy' and 'pharmacist' — kin words all descended from the idea that the same substance can heal or harm.
- name origin
- from greek pharmakon, meaning both remedy and poison
- development cost
- roughly a decade and over a billion dollars per drug
- same molecule
- brand and generic versions are chemically identical, legally
- placebo rival
- must beat sugar pills, not just feel effective