Drug Development This entire section on drug development highlights concerns very unique to the industry. They therefore lead to the implementation of CSR activities which are also very industry specific, even if aspects such as animal testing and research ethics may be shared by other industries such as cosmetic industry or the medical device sector for example. innovation Today, the need for R&D and innovation is great, perhaps greater than ever. In developed countries, access to medicines is becoming a societal demand and an ever-increasing expectation on the part of patients. Yet despite the significant number of drugs developed over the decades, there are still many diseases that have not been treated or for which appropriate treatments have yet to be developed. Many patients suffering from orphan diseases (or rare diseases) are waiting for appropriate treatments, and parents of sick children are desperately waiting for medications adapted to pediatric needs. Additionally, in developing countries, through globalization and global communication, people are more aware of potentially available treatments and, in turn, have increased expectations. Additionally, the population is growing and, overall, aging. People are living longer and rightly expect appropriate care throughout their lives. Finally, and as we saw recently in the case of swine flu, the possibility of a pandemic, and its potentially devastating effects on a global scale, is a situation that humanity must face recurring occasions, requiring rapid and efficient drug development and access to most populations. All of these factors contribute to the fact that research and development (R&D) is...... middle of paper ...... potential new drugs, only a dozen will make it to preclinical trials. Ultimately, after clinical trials on animals and then on humans, only one or two of the initial 10,000 molecules will reach the final stage of marketing authorization and marketing to patients (Les Entreprises du Medicine, 2008). In total, the process will take 7-12 hours. several years, with the development cost estimated at US$800 million for each drug (Dickson and Gagnon, 2004). Naturally, with such long processes and such large investments, and given that drug development is the work of private entities, only companies making substantial profits can plow their profits back into research and development. This not only limits the number of companies able to carry out R&D, but also potentially affects the range of diseases that can be studied and treated..