664. Are Thousands of Medical Cures Hiding in Plain Sight?

Freakonomics Radio

Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle.

 

  • SOURCES:
    • Chris Snyder, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.
    • David Fajgenbaum, co-founder and president of Every Cure, physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
    • Heather Stone, health science policy analyst at the Food & Drug Administration.
    • Sarrin Chethik, senior policy analyst at the Market Shaping Accelerator.

 


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More description

Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle.

 

  • SOURCES:
    • Chris Snyder, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.
    • David Fajgenbaum, co-founder and president of Every Cure, physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
    • Heather Stone, health science policy analyst at the Food & Drug Administration.
    • Sarrin Chethik, senior policy analyst at the Market Shaping Accelerator.

 


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2026-02-20 51 min Transcript
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