Paul Wicks, a co-author of the paper, said social network-run studies may be most useful for testing efficacy of so-called off-label or off-patent compounds that patients are using but are unlikely to ever attract pharmaceutical company interest.

WSJ: ALS Study Falls Short, But Use of Social Media Holds Promise

Scangos says companies should start looking for genetic variations that predict a drug's efficacy in the very early stages of clinical testing.

FORBES: Magazine Article

He realizes that requiring clinical testing for efficacy will slow things down and needlessly keep important drugs out of the hands of suffering patients.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Approximately 35% of drug development costs are for safety testing, while 65% are for efficacy testing.

FORBES: Magazine Article

South African politicians insist that they are worried about the long-term cost and efficacy of such drugs, and fret that western drug makers may use the country as a testing ground for markets elsewhere.

ECONOMIST: AIDS in South Africa