Are Clinical Trials In Wrong Century?; Yes, Says Think Tank; Genetic methods may replace random studies in today's computer era.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)

Byline: PETER BENESH

It takes an average of 10 years and more than $800 million to bring a new drug to market.

According to Lester Crawford, acting chief of the Food and Drug Administration, only 10% of prospective pharmaceuticals get through all the trials and reach the market. Money spent on the other 90% ends up written off.

A major part of the costs is the clinical trials, which are basically blind studies on groups of human guinea pigs.

In those three-stage trials, some folks get the experimental drugs and some don't.

What's wrong with this picture?

Pretty much everything, says Robert Goldberg, head of the Manhattan Institute's Center for Medical Progress. He also chairs a task force on finding faster, cheaper ways to …