THE same week that scientists announced the complete decoding of the human genome, Al Gore declared war on medical progress. Even though the private sector completed sequencing the genome ahead of the government—and is already developing information that will help produce powerful new drugs—Gore rarely credits the work of private biotech and drug companies in discovering important new medicines. Now Gore has launched a populist attack on “price gouging” by the drug companies.
Pundits view this as just a ploy to solidify Gore’s standing among senior citizens and build support for his proposed new Medicare drug entitlement; but Gore’s animus runs deeper. He distrusts biotechnology, and stripping the biopharmaceutical industry of its powers by turning it into a public utility is something he has had in mind for years.
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