
University could lose millions from “unethical” research backed by Peter Thiel - krisdol
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/university-could-lose-millions-from-unethical-research-backed-by-peter-thiel/
======
HarryHirsch
Thiel knows as well as anyone within pharma that the reason innovation in
medicinal chemistry has slowed down is not the FDA, it's the financing model.
His business is venture capital, he knows about finance. So - what is this
game about, why is he baiting the FDA?

~~~
eesmith
I'm not convinced he knows that.

Quoting [https://www.thedailybeast.com/peter-thiel-funds-unethical-
of...](https://www.thedailybeast.com/peter-thiel-funds-unethical-offshore-
herpes-vaccine-trial) :

"Thiel has been a vocal critic of the FDA, claiming in an interview that its
approval process was so unwieldy "you would not be able to invent the polio
vaccine today.”"

If he does know, he's not letting his other investors know. From the same
link:

""This is a test case,” said Bartley Madden, a retired Credit Suisse banker
and policy adviser to the conservative Heartland Institute, who is another
investor in the vaccine. “The FDA is standing in the way, and Americans are
going to hear about this and demand action.""

In any case, the FDA head is Scott Gottlieb. Gottlieb's history sounds like he
thinks that the FDA is overcautious. [https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/donald-
trump-vs-the-fda-be-...](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/donald-trump-vs-the-
fda-be-afraid-be-very-afraid-of-the-loosening-of-drug-approval-standards/) .

If your mindset is "move fast and break things" then go ahead and sell an
effective anti-nausea pill - what's the chance of getting another Thalidomide?
Structure the company so you can get the profits without the liability.

Or, if you think the FDA will weaken its protections, then there's profit to
be made.

And for some people, if you don't sometimes get a yellow card (metaphorically
speaking), you aren't trying hard enough.

_EDIT_:

[http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/11/14/not...](http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/11/14/not-
how-you-speed-the-process-up-exactly) says :

"Back in April, Halford and his associates press-released an investment in
Rational Vaccines by Peter Thiel’s investment fund. That has generated a lot
of headlines about “Peter Thiel funds illegal human trial!” and so on, but (as
much as I’m skeptical about his pharma ideas), this coverage is unfair. The
investment occurred after the offshore trial had already taken place, and in
fact, Thiel’s people insisted that further work on the vaccine be done in a
more, well, rational manner.

~~~
HarryHirsch
The investment came after offshore human trials with poor recordkeeping. Why
someone would throw good money at poorly documented science is beyond me. The
comments in the _Pipeline_ are not gentle and hark in the same direction.

