Will Social Networking Save Big Pharma?

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Jeffrey Newman

Dr. David Shaywitz and Mathai Mammen MD suggest using social media for research and development. Drug discovery is often a result of chance in which compounds have unexpected side effects that prove to be lifesaving breakthroughs. These two researchers suggest that social networking with a web of patients and doctors could help to systematically recognize the hidden benefits of drugs through data mining the net. About 25 years ago some doctors noticed that patients receiving a new anti-tuburculosis drug iproniazid experienced a sense of well-being. These observations lead to the development of an anti-depressant. In 1899 scientists at The Bayer Company began to release apsirin offered as a remedy for colds and toothaches. It wasn’t until the mid 1960’s that scientists realized that aspirin inhibits the production of chemicals in the body called prostaglandins, fatty acids that also cause inflammation and pain. That understanding lead to the discovery that people who take aspirin experience fewer heart attacks.