Crowdfunding drug development: the state of play in oncology and rare diseases

An open source pharma roadmap

“…Such is already the case in the field of poverty-related infectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases, in which there is a traditional type of what is often termed “market failure,” and other financing mechanisms, such as crowdfunding [36] and prizes [37], are being piloted. There are recent precedents of drugs being taken through such stages with government or philanthropic money and in the absence of patent protection [38], as well as an increasing number of major new funding mechanisms designed to assist with such efforts [39].…”

Crowdsourcing in pharma: a strategic framework

“…This could be done through financing by government or private notfor-profit organizations (e.g. WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust) [63], public-private partnerships, through crowdfunding [64] or pro-bono work by individuals. As discussed earlier, pro-social motivation can be incited through public recognition of individual contributions.…”

The long tail and rare disease research: the impact of next-generation sequencing for rare Mendelian disorders

“…Just as internet retailers "opened up" the long tail by making niche products available to interested consumers, crowdfunding platforms connect highly-invested individuals to a particular research project. Dragojlovic and Lynd followed five crowdfunding campaigns in 2013, reporting that five out of six met or exceeded their goal (Dragojlovic & Lynd, 2014). The Rare Genomics Institute also uses crowdfunding as a key source of financial support for research projects.…”