Eroom's Law
The observation that drug discovery is becoming slower and more expensive over time, despite improvements in technology.
First Mentioned
8/25/2026, 5:23:29 AM
Last Updated
8/25/2026, 5:26:25 AM
Research Retrieved
8/25/2026, 5:26:25 AM
Summary
Eroom's Law describes the counterintuitive trend in drug discovery where, despite technological advancements, the process is becoming progressively slower and more expensive. This phenomenon, first observed in the 1980s, states that the inflation-adjusted cost of developing a new drug approximately doubles every nine years. The name "Eroom's Law" is a deliberate inversion of Moore's Law, highlighting the contrast with the exponential progress seen in other technological fields. This concept was introduced by Jack Scannell and his colleagues in 2012 in the journal *Nature Reviews Drug Discovery*. The stagnation in drug discovery, referred to as Eroom's Law, has been a point of discussion in broader conversations about scientific funding and reform, with critics pointing to it as an example of inefficiencies in government-funded research.
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View on WikipediaEroom's law
Eroom's law is the observation that drug discovery is becoming slower and more expensive over time, despite improvements in technology (such as high-throughput screening, biotechnology, combinatorial chemistry, and computational drug design), a trend first observed in the 1980s. The inflation-adjusted cost of developing a new drug roughly doubles every nine years. In order to highlight the contrast with the exponential advancements of other forms of technology (such as transistors) over time, the name given to the observation is Moore's law spelled backwards. The term was coined by Jack Scannell and colleagues in 2012 in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
Web Search Results
- How to Fight "Eroom's Law"
Although Eroom's law—the slowing pace and rising cost in R&D—won't be reversed overnight, we don't have to live with it. Unlike Moore's law in
- Breaking Eroom's Law | Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
by MS Ringel · 2020 · Cited by 160 — nature reviews drug discovery from the analyst's couch article Breaking Eroom's Law … orrection 27 April 2020 Breaking Eroom's Law By Michael S
- Eroom's Law
Eroom's Law indicates that powerful forces have outweighed scientific, technical and managerial improvements over the past 60 years, and/or that
- Does Eroom's law mean the end of drug discovery?
Eroom's law states that the resources to discover a new drug doubles every 9 years or so.
- Reversing Eroom's Law: can computers dramtically impact the productivity of drug discovery? - Schrödinger
### Increasing Cost of Developing FDA Approved Drugs – Eroom’s Law: Causes and Possible Remedies [...] My AccountLogoutMy Account PaymentLogout Login Contact Us # Reversing Eroom’s Law: can computers dramtically impact the productivity of drug discovery? ## Summary [...] software, which in turn engenders further optimization of protocols.