Oligopoly. (gene drugs) (Science and Technology)

Economist (US), The, June, 1989

Gene drugs

Oligopoly

ALL drugs--even the humblest and oldest ones--work by attacking proteins that have been linked to a disease or some other unpleasantness. The trouble with such protein-bashing drugs is that they are sledgehammers that tend to cause unwanted side-effects. A growing band of scientists is trying a more radical tack: drugs directed against the very genes that are recipes for the "unhealthy" proteins. Powerful drugs against viruses, cancer and AIDS are among the many that have been promised. Several new biotechnology firms have already been set up to snatch the opportunities offered by such "gene drugs".

In theory, at least, they should be more efficient than protein drugs. To understand why, consider how proteins are made....

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