Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why are life-saving drugs so expensive—especially when taxpayers already fund much of the science behind them?
Öner Tulum, co-founder of the Academic-Industry Research Network, explains how pharmaceutical companies prioritize shareholders over patients, driving drug prices higher while access suffers. He traces how publicly funded research feeds the drug pipeline, yet profits are captured by executives and Wall Street.
Tulum argues that innovation isn’t just about discovering new therapies—it’s about making them affordable and accessible. Without transparency, fair pricing, and a system that rewards patients and taxpayers, innovation loses its purpose.
This interview exposes the growing risks of financialized pharma: inequality, lack of access, and an industry more focused on stock prices than human health.
Learn more about his work at theairnet.org/oner-tulum
Why are life-saving drugs so expensive—especially when taxpayers already fund much of the science behind them?
Öner Tulum, co-founder of the Academic-Industry Research Network, explains how pharmaceutical companies prioritize shareholders over patients, driving drug prices higher while access suffers. He traces how publicly funded research feeds the drug pipeline, yet profits are captured by executives and Wall Street.
Tulum argues that innovation isn’t just about discovering new therapies—it’s about making them affordable and accessible. Without transparency, fair pricing, and a system that rewards patients and taxpayers, innovation loses its purpose.
This interview exposes the growing risks of financialized pharma: inequality, lack of access, and an industry more focused on stock prices than human health.
Learn more about his work at theairnet.org/oner-tulum
