7,000 Diseases. 4,800 Drugs. The Gap in Modern Medicine

What if the biggest problem in medicine is not discovery, but what gets funded?In this episode of The NEXT BIG THING with Keith D. Terry, Keith sits down with Barbara Goodman, President and CEO of Cures Within Reach, to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in healthcare: the gap between scientific possibility and what actually reaches patients.With more than 7,000 diseases worldwide and fewer than 5,000 approved drugs, the system does not fail because of a lack of ideas. Many promising treatments never fail scientifically—they fail financially.Barbara shares how her organization is addressing this “missing middle” by funding proof-of-concept clinical trials that unlock new uses for existing therapies and accelerate access to care.🔍  In this episode, you will learn:• Why many promising treatments never move forward in traditional drug development • How financial incentives shape what gets funded in healthcare • What drug repurposing is and why it is gaining momentum • The role of off-label use in real-world patient care • How AI is accelerating the identification of new treatment opportunities • Why some of the most impactful solutions may already existThis conversation goes beyond healthcare. It explores how systems prioritize, how innovation actually happens, and what it takes to move ideas from possibility to real-world impact.Connect and Follow:YouTube: @keithdterry Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio#Healthcare #DrugRepurposing #AIinHealthcare #MedicalInnovation #Biotech #PodcastSend us your thought on this episode.Support the showKeith D. Terry produced this episode.   www.keithdterry.comPlease follow us on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@keithdterryFor podcast guest recommendations, contact [email protected]