The Plaintiff Media Kit

Author

Affiliation

Mike P. Sinn

International Campaign to End War and Disease

Keywords

media kit, op-ed template, social media, interview prep, press release, shareholder lawsuit

The press release goes to reporters. The rest of this kit goes to the plaintiff. Print everything and have it in hand on filing day.

Sequencing

The press release is timed to the love letter filing:

T	Action
T-72h	Final review of press release.
T-48h	Refresh journalist list. Offer embargo to 5-10 priority reporters.
T-24h	Send embargoed copies with explicit lift time.
T=0	Love letter delivered by certified mail + email. Press release distributed. warondisease.org/lawsuit goes live.
T+1h	Available for interviews.
T+24h	Follow-up emails to non-responders. Offer context, sources, data.
T+7d	Op-ed pitch to the strongest interested outlet.
T+60d	Second press release on the board’s response (or non-response).

The Press Release

Verify reporter names at filing time. Fill [BRACKETS] with current data.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[DATE]

Contact: [PLAINTIFF NAME] | [EMAIL] | [PHONE] Counsel: [LAW FIRM] | [PARTNER NAME] | [FIRM PHONE]

Shareholder Demands [COMPANY] Board Investigate $[X] Million Annual Lobbying Budget That Destroys Long-Term Shareholder Value

A first-of-its-kind Caremark derivative theory argues that military industry lobbying is mathematically negative-ROI for the shareholders it claims to represent. The plaintiff says it may be the first lawsuit in history where the defendants are radically better off losing than winning.

[CITY, DATE]: [PLAINTIFF NAME], a shareholder of [COMPANY] ([TICKER]), today filed a shareholder love letter with the company’s Board of Directors alleging that the company’s annual lobbying expenditure of approximately $[X] million produces negative return on investment for its own shareholders, and is making the Board members, the shareholders, and their families more likely to die of pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions that would otherwise have had treatments. [PLAINTIFF NAME] [TODO: optionally add one sentence on the personal stake, e.g., “filed after losing [their mother] to [pancreatic cancer] in [2024], a disease whose candidate treatments are sitting in the untested-compound queue today”].

The legal theory, based on Delaware’s Caremark duty of oversight doctrine as expanded in Marchand v. Barnhill (2019) and Garfield v. Allen (2024), argues that [COMPANY]’s lobbying to maintain current US military appropriations suppresses the GDP growth that funds the company’s long-term addressable market. Specifically, the lobbying targets maintaining the current 604 (95% CI: 453-888)-to-1 ratio of military spending to government clinical-trial spending, which the love letter argues delays disease eradication by approximately 204 years and reduces global GDP at year 15 by a factor of approximately 1.43x (95% CI: 1.22x-1.56x).

“We love the board members of [COMPANY] and we do not want them and everyone they have ever loved to be slowly tortured and brutally murdered by horrible diseases,” said [PLAINTIFF NAME]. “We are asking them to redirect the same lobbying budget so that none of us has to die of a disease we could cure if we funded the trial. Settle and the Board members and their families are roughly $518,879 (95% CI: $221,703-$860,930) richer over a lifetime and roughly 12 years (95% CI: 8 years-18 years) longer-lived. Fight and win and everyone in the courtroom stays on the trajectory that kills them earlier.”

The proposed resolution is non-monetary: [COMPANY] would redirect its annual lobbying objective from maintaining current military spending levels to supporting a global agreement to redirect 1% of military spending to pragmatic clinical trials. Per the love letter, this resolution costs [COMPANY] $0 in additional expenditure, expands its long-term addressable market by a factor of approximately 1.43x (95% CI: 1.22x-1.56x) by year 15, and increases shareholder lifetime wealth by approximately $518,879 (95% CI: $221,703-$860,930) per shareholder.

“This is a frontier Caremark theory,” said [COUNSEL NAME], partner at [LAW FIRM] and counsel for [PLAINTIFF NAME]. “The duty of oversight has historically focused on backward-looking harm: failed acquisitions, accounting fraud, product safety. We are arguing it extends to forward-looking value destruction through recurring expenditures that the board has never scrutinized. The pleading is sourced entirely from public data.”

The Board has 60 days to respond. If the response is inadequate, [PLAINTIFF NAME] intends to file a shareholder proposal under SEC Rule 14a-8 requiring an independent ROI analysis of [COMPANY]’s lobbying expenditure, and a derivative action in [Delaware Chancery / Maryland] alleging breach of the duty of care.

The full love letter, supporting calculations, and underlying treaty proposal are available at warondisease.org/lawsuit. The ROI analysis, including the four GDP growth channels and sourced cost-benefit table, is at warondisease.org/where-am-i-wrong.

Key facts

Cost to file: $200 for one share. No minimum holding; one share starts the same 60-day clock a million shares would.
What the plaintiff loses: roughly $518,879 (95% CI: $221,703-$860,930) in lifetime income and roughly 12 years (95% CI: 8 years-18 years) of healthy life, each, if the lawsuit fails. Same numbers for the directors. Same numbers for the judge.
What the defendant loses by settling: nothing. Settlement is non-monetary, $0 extra. Same lobbyists. Different ask on Capitol Hill.
What the defendant gains by settling: a Company operating in an economy roughly 1.43x (95% CI: 1.22x-1.56x) larger at year 15 of the treaty, and directors who are alive to see it.
Legal basis: Caremark, Marchand v. Barnhill, Garfield v. Allen, Stone v. Ritter. The love letter creates the documented red flag that triggers oversight obligations.

About the 1% Treaty Campaign

Every nation redirects 1% of its military spending to pragmatic clinical trials. The disease eradication timeline compresses from 443 years to 36 years. Approximately 565 billion healthy life-years are recovered across humanity. Specifically: fewer humans die of pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and cardiovascular disease. The candidate treatments sit untested in the compound queue, including metformin, rapamycin, and low-dose naltrexone. The trials that would establish which of them work are unfunded; the 1% redirection funds them. The International Campaign to End War and Disease coordinates the campaign at warondisease.org.

Spokespeople available for interview

[PLAINTIFF NAME], named plaintiff. Available for written, phone, and on-camera interviews. Contact: [EMAIL] | [PHONE].
[COUNSEL NAME], partner at [LAW FIRM]. Available for legal-theory questions. Contact: [FIRM EMAIL] | [FIRM PHONE].
Mike P. Sinn, founder, International Campaign to End War and Disease. Available for the broader treaty context. Contact: [email protected].

Journalist Target List

By beat. Verify current reporter names at T-48h.

Beat	Priority outlets
Military	Defense News, Breaking Defense, Politico Defense, Roll Call, The Hill
Business / finance	Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, CNBC
Legal trade	Reuters Legal, Bloomberg Law, Law360
Healthcare / science	STAT News, Vox Future Perfect, MIT Technology Review
Opinion (politically diverse)	NYT Opinion, WSJ Opinion, The Atlantic, Reason

20 outlets is enough for a first wave. Expand from there if interest is high.

Follow-Up Cadence

Most reporters ignore the first email.

Day	Action
T=0	Send release with one line referencing the reporter’s beat.
T+24h	Short follow-up offering an interview, data, or source. Don’t resend the release.
T+72h	Final follow-up. One paragraph. Different angle.
T+7d	Offer an exclusive (different defendant, institutional-investor reaction, op-ed).
T+14d	Silent? Archive. They may revisit at the 60-day milestone.
T+60d	Re-engage with the board-response release.

Op-Ed Draft (Optional)

Pitch at T+7d. 800-1,200 words. Headline and subhead are placeholders; the outlet’s editor will rewrite them.

Headline: We sued the board of a military contractor because we love them.

Subhead: The Company’s lobbying produces negative ROI for its own shareholders. We bought one share to put the analysis in front of the Board. So can you.

Last week we mailed a shareholder love letter to the Board of [COMPANY]. We own one share. We paid $[X] for it.

They are going to die of something preventable. So are we. The Board of [COMPANY] signs off every year on a lobbying budget that keeps the ratio of military spending to clinical-trial spending at 604 (95% CI: 453-888) to 1. That ratio is why the cures do not exist yet. The Board has never asked whether this is good for the people who own the shares. The lawsuit asks them to.

The mechanism is small. [COMPANY] spends approximately $[X] million a year on federal lobbying pointed at maintaining that ratio. The trials that would tell us which compounds cure pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s, ALS, and cardiovascular disease are not being funded because the lobby tells Congress to keep it that way.

Three molecules sitting in the untested-compound queue right now, with public research support and no funded large-scale trials: metformin for Alzheimer’s. Rapamycin for biological aging. Low-dose naltrexone for autoimmune conditions and certain cancers. The 1% redirection funds those trials. The current lobbying keeps the money pointed somewhere else. That is what is going to kill us.

The settlement is non-monetary. The Board redirects the same lobbying budget, with the same lobbyists, to argue for the 1% treaty¹³⁶ ¹³⁷ on Capitol Hill instead of arguing against it. Nothing in the Company’s operations changes. The only thing that changes is what the lobbyists say in the meetings they were already going to have.

The sourced ROI analysis is in the love letter, built from SIPRI, WHO, NIH, OpenSecrets, and [COMPANY]’s own SEC filings. Legal theory: Caremark, Marchand, Stone v. Ritter.

We want to be clear about who this lawsuit hurts. Nobody. Not the Company. Not shareholders. Not employees. Not even the lobbyists, who keep the same jobs and the same budget and argue for a different sentence. The settlement costs the Company nothing and helps everyone in the case, on both sides, live longer.

Settle and the Board members and their shareholders are roughly $518,879 (95% CI: $221,703-$860,930) richer over a lifetime and roughly 12 years (95% CI: 8 years-18 years) longer-lived. Fight and win and they stay on the trajectory that kills them earlier.

If you are a shareholder of any major military contractor, you can do this too. One share. Two hundred dollars. The template is at warondisease.org/lawsuit. Eight pre-filled love letters ready to print. The Board has to respond to whoever sent the letter.

The lobbying works because no one has checked the ROI. The ROI is negative. The derivation, sourced from SIPRI, WHO, NIH, and the company’s own SEC filings, is at warondisease.org/where-am-i-wrong. Filing costs an evening and one share of stock.

[PLAINTIFF NAME] is a shareholder of [COMPANY] and the lead plaintiff in the love letter described above. [TODO for plaintiff: optionally add one sentence on the personal stake, e.g., “She filed the case after losing her father to pancreatic cancer in 2024.”]

Interview Prep Q&A

The 8 most likely reporter questions. Practice the top 5 out loud before the first call.

Q1: What are you suing for?

We’re not suing for damages. We’re asking the Board of [COMPANY] to check whether their $[X] million annual lobbying budget actually helps the company, once you account for what the lobbying does to the economy that funds the company’s contracts. The settlement is that they point the same lobbyists at the 1% treaty instead of at keeping military budgets high. No extra cost to the company.

Q2: Why do you think the lobbying is bad for shareholders?

The company’s revenue is a slice of US federal spending. Federal spending is a slice of US GDP. The campaign’s model, built on SIPRI, WHO, NIH, and OpenSecrets data and based on peer-reviewed estimates of how military spending affects growth, projects global GDP at year 15 at roughly 1.43x (95% CI: 1.22x-1.56x) the current trajectory, because fewer people are sick and dying. Every derivation is public. The 1% they are “protecting” through lobbying is tiny compared to what they would gain from operating in that larger economy.

Q3: This sounds like a stunt. Is this serious?

The legal theory is grounded in Caremark, Marchand v. Barnhill, and Stone v. Ritter. The math is sourced from SIPRI, WHO, NIH, OpenSecrets, and the company’s own SEC filings. The 60-day clock is statutory. The Rule 14a-8 proposal and the derivative action that follow if the Board doesn’t respond are real legal vehicles. The pleading is publicly available.

Q4: How much will this cost the company in damages if you win?

Zero, if the Board accepts the proposed settlement. The settlement is non-monetary. Same budget. Different objective. Net incremental cost: $0.

Q5: Why this company?

The lawsuit theory applies to every major military contractor. Pre-filled love letters exist for all 8 (Lockheed, RTX, Boeing, GD, Northrop, L3Harris, HII, Leidos). [COMPANY] is the first/early defendant because of [pick: largest, most prominent CEO, largest lobbying spend, state of incorporation].

Q6: Are you trying to disarm America?

The opposite. The 1% treaty is the most pro-military action available to the United States. The country that won World War II had 96.7% less military spending than the United States has today, and the reason it won is that its productive economy had not been cannibalized to fund a peacetime military. The current allocation is how the United States is losing strategic competition to China, which spends less than half as much on military and invests the difference into the productive base that determines who wins the next real war. The treaty cuts 1% from peacetime spending and redirects it into the civilian economy that any actual wartime mobilization would draw on. See The Eisenhower Curve for the full argument.

Q7: What if the company just ignores the love letter?

We’ll file a Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposal in the next proxy cycle and a derivative action in [Delaware Chancery / Maryland] at day 61.

Q8: Why should I care?

Disease kills approximately 100% of humans, eventually. Most of those deaths are from diseases that would have treatments if anyone had funded the trials. The lobbying is paid for by the same companies whose shareholders die of those diseases. You are probably a shareholder through an index fund or 401k. You can do this too: 1 share, ~$200, template at warondisease.org/lawsuit. One share starts the same 60-day clock a million shares would.

T+60d Follow-Up Press Release

Distribute the day the Board’s response (or non-response) becomes public. Use the same journalist list with a different headline angle depending on the outcome.

If the Board commissions the analysis

[CITY, DATE]: [COMPANY]’s Board of Directors has agreed to commission an independent ROI analysis of the company’s federal lobbying expenditure, in response to a shareholder love letter filed sixty days ago. [PLAINTIFF NAME] welcomed the response: “This is the right move. The Board has chosen to let their own grandchildren live longer. I hope every military contractor board does the same.” The analysis is scheduled for [TIMELINE] and will be published on the company’s investor relations website. The same love letter template has now been filed against [N] other military contractors.

If the Board declines or doesn’t respond

[CITY, DATE]: [COMPANY]’s Board of Directors today declined to investigate whether the company’s $[X] million annual lobbying expenditure is shortening the lives of its own shareholders, their families, and its own directors. Sixty days after receiving a shareholder love letter setting out the math, the Board’s response addressed every procedural question and none of the substantive ones. [PLAINTIFF NAME] today filed a derivative action in [Delaware Chancery / Maryland circuit] under Caremark, Marchand, and Stone v. Ritter, and will submit a Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposal requiring an independent ROI analysis in the next proxy cycle. “We would have preferred a phone call,” [PLAINTIFF NAME] said. “We love the Board. The Board’s response shows they have not yet read the ROI analysis. The lawsuit is the mechanism that requires them to.” Counsel: [FIRM NAME].

NIH Common Fund. NIH pragmatic trials: Minimal funding despite 30x cost advantage. NIH Common Fund: HCS Research Collaboratory https://commonfund.nih.gov/hcscollaboratory (2025)

The NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory funds trials at $500K for planning phase, $1M/year for implementation-a tiny fraction of NIH’s budget. The ADAPTABLE trial cost $14 million for 15,076 patients (= $929/patient) versus $420 million for a similar traditional RCT (30x cheaper), yet pragmatic trials remain severely underfunded. PCORnet infrastructure enables real-world trials embedded in healthcare systems, but receives minimal support compared to basic research funding. Additional sources: https://commonfund.nih.gov/hcscollaboratory | https://pcornet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ADAPTABLE_Lay_Summary_21JUL2025.pdf | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5604499/

Ritchie, H. & Roser, M. Water use and stress. (2018).

Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: A systematic analysis. The Lancet 399, 629–655 (2022).

Cato Institute. Chance of dying from terrorism statistic. Cato Institute: Terrorism and Immigration Risk Analysis https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis

Chance of American dying in foreign-born terrorist attack: 1 in 3.6 million per year (1975-2015) Including 9/11 deaths; annual murder rate is 253x higher than terrorism death rate More likely to die from lightning strike than foreign terrorism Note: Comprehensive 41-year study shows terrorism risk is extremely low compared to everyday dangers Additional sources: https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis | https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/you-re-more-likely-die-choking-be-killed-foreign-terrorists-n715141

NIH. Antidepressant clinical trial exclusion rates. Zimmerman et al. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26276679/ (2015)

Mean exclusion rate: 86.1% across 158 antidepressant efficacy trials (range: 44.4% to 99.8%) More than 82% of real-world depression patients would be ineligible for antidepressant registration trials Exclusion rates increased over time: 91.4% (2010-2014) vs. 83.8% (1995-2009) Most common exclusions: comorbid psychiatric disorders, age restrictions, insufficient depression severity, medical conditions Emergency psychiatry patients: only 3.3% eligible (96.7% excluded) when applying 9 common exclusion criteria Only a minority of depressed patients seen in clinical practice are likely to be eligible for most AETs Note: Generalizability of antidepressant trials has decreased over time, with increasingly stringent exclusion criteria eliminating patients who would actually use the drugs in clinical practice Additional sources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26276679/ | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26164052/ | https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/news/antidepressant-trials-exclude-most-real-world-patients-with-depression

CNBC. Warren buffett’s career average investment return. CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/warren-buffetts-return-tally-after-60-years-5502284percent.html (2025)

Berkshire’s compounded annual return from 1965 through 2024 was 19.9%, nearly double the 10.4% recorded by the S&P 500. Berkshire shares skyrocketed 5,502,284% compared to the S&P 500’s 39,054% rise during that period. Additional sources: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/warren-buffetts-return-tally-after-60-years-5502284percent.html | https://www.slickcharts.com/berkshire-hathaway/returns

GiveWell. GiveWell cost per life saved for top charities (2024). GiveWell: Top Charities https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities

General range: $3,000-$5,500 per life saved (GiveWell top charities) Helen Keller International (Vitamin A): $3,500 average (2022-2024); varies $1,000-$8,500 by country Against Malaria Foundation: $5,500 per life saved New Incentives (vaccination incentives): $4,500 per life saved Malaria Consortium (seasonal malaria chemoprevention): $3,500 per life saved VAS program details: $2 to provide vitamin A supplements to child for one year Note: Figures accurate for 2024. Helen Keller VAS program has wide country variation ($1K-$8.5K) but $3,500 is accurate average. Among most cost-effective interventions globally Additional sources: https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities | https://www.givewell.org/charities/helen-keller-international | https://ourworldindata.org/cost-effectiveness

Cassidy, E. S., West, P. C., Gerber, J. S. & Foley, J. A. Redefining agricultural yields: From tonnes to people nourished per hectare. Environmental Research Letters 8, 034015 (2013).

U.S. Department of Defense. 5.56mm NATO ammunition bulk procurement pricing. (2024)

The cost of 5.56mm NATO ammunition at military bulk procurement rates is approximately $0.40 per round, based on Lake City Army Ammunition Plant production and commercial market floor prices for mil-spec M855 ammunition.

10.

Pike, J. U.s. Forces fire 250,000 rounds for every insurgent killed. (2011)

The General Accounting Office reports that US forces used 1.8 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition per year, a level that more than doubled in five years. An estimated 250,000 rounds were fired for every insurgent killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

11.

Congressional Budget Office. Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60165 (2024).

12.

CDC MMWR. Childhood vaccination economic benefits. CDC MMWR https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7331a2.htm (1994)

US programs (1994-2023): $540B direct savings, $2.7T societal savings ( $18B/year direct, $90B/year societal) Global (2001-2020): $820B value for 10 diseases in 73 countries ( $41B/year) ROI: $11 return per $1 invested Measles vaccination alone saved 93.7M lives (61% of 154M total) over 50 years (1974-2024) Additional sources: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7331a2.htm | https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00850-X/fulltext

13.

CDC. Childhood vaccination (US) ROI. CDC https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a4.htm (2017).

14.

World Health Organization. WHO global health estimates 2024. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates (2024)

Comprehensive mortality and morbidity data by cause, age, sex, country, and year Global mortality: 55-60 million deaths annually Lives saved by modern medicine (vaccines, cardiovascular drugs, oncology): 12M annually (conservative aggregate) Leading causes of death: Cardiovascular disease (17.9M), Cancer (10.3M), Respiratory disease (4.0M) Note: Baseline data for regulatory mortality analysis. Conservative estimate of pharmaceutical impact based on WHO immunization data (4.5M/year from vaccines) + cardiovascular interventions (3.3M/year) + oncology (1.5M/year) + other therapies. Additional sources: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates

15.

U.S. Department of Justice. The false claims act. (2025).

16.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPI inflation calculator. (2024)

CPI-U (1980): 82.4 CPI-U (2024): 313.5 Inflation multiplier (1980-2024): 3.80× Cumulative inflation: 280.48% Average annual inflation rate: 3.08% Note: Official U.S. government inflation data using Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). Additional sources: https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

17.

James Surowiecki. The Wisdom of Crowds. (Surowiecki, 2004).

Explores the aggregation of information in groups, arguing that decisions are often better than could have been made by any single member of the group. The opening anecdote relates Francis Galton’s surprise that the crowd at a county fair accurately guessed the weight of an ox when the median of their individual guesses was taken. The three conditions for a group to be intelligent are diversity, independence, and decentralization. Additional sources: https://archive.org/details/wisdomofcrowds0000suro | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wisdom_of_Crowds | https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Crowds-James-Surowiecki/dp/0385721706

18.

ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 direct analysis. ClinicalTrials.gov cumulative enrollment data (2025). Direct analysis via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 https://clinicaltrials.gov/data-api/api

Analysis of 100,000 active/recruiting/completed trials on ClinicalTrials.gov (as of January 2025) shows cumulative enrollment of 12.2 million participants: Phase 1 (722k), Phase 2 (2.2M), Phase 3 (6.5M), Phase 4 (2.7M). Median participants per trial: Phase 1 (33), Phase 2 (60), Phase 3 (237), Phase 4 (90). Additional sources: https://clinicaltrials.gov/data-api/api

19.

ACS CAN. Clinical trial patient participation rate. ACS CAN: Barriers to Clinical Trial Enrollment https://www.fightcancer.org/policy-resources/barriers-patient-enrollment-therapeutic-clinical-trials-cancer

Only 3-5% of adult cancer patients in US receive treatment within clinical trials About 5% of American adults have ever participated in any clinical trial Oncology: 2-3% of all oncology patients participate Contrast: 50-60% enrollment for pediatric cancer trials (<15 years old) Note: 20% of cancer trials fail due to insufficient enrollment; 11% of research sites enroll zero patients Additional sources: https://www.fightcancer.org/policy-resources/barriers-patient-enrollment-therapeutic-clinical-trials-cancer | https://hints.cancer.gov/docs/Briefs/HINTS_Brief_48.pdf

20.

ScienceDaily. Global prevalence of chronic disease. ScienceDaily: GBD 2015 Study https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150608081753.htm (2015)

2.3 billion individuals had more than five ailments (2013) Chronic conditions caused 74% of all deaths worldwide (2019), up from 67% (2010) Approximately 1 in 3 adults suffer from multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) Risk factor exposures: 2B exposed to biomass fuel, 1B to air pollution, 1B smokers Projected economic cost: $47 trillion by 2030 Note: 2.3B with 5+ ailments is more accurate than "2B with chronic disease." One-third of all adults globally have multiple chronic conditions Additional sources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150608081753.htm | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10830426/ | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6214883/

21.

C&EN. Annual number of new drugs approved globally: 50. C&EN https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/50-new-drugs-received-FDA/103/i2 (2025)

50 new drugs approved annually Additional sources: https://cen.acs.org/pharmaceuticals/50-new-drugs-received-FDA/103/i2 | https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-approval-process-drugs/novel-drug-approvals-fda

22.

Williams, R. J., Tse, T., DiPiazza, K. & Zarin, D. A. Terminated trials in the ClinicalTrials.gov results database: Evaluation of availability of primary outcome data and reasons for termination. PLOS One 10, e0127242 (2015)

Approximately 12% of trials with results posted on the ClinicalTrials.gov results database (905/7,646) were terminated. Primary reasons: insufficient accrual (57% of non-data-driven terminations), business/strategic reasons, and efficacy/toxicity findings (21% data-driven terminations).

23.

IQVIA Report. Global trial capacity. IQVIA Report: Clinical Trial Subjects Number Drops Due to Decline in COVID-19 Enrollment https://gmdpacademy.org/news/iqvia-report-clinical-trial-subjects-number-drops-due-to-decline-in-covid-19-enrollment/

1.9M participants annually (2022, post-COVID normalization from 4M peak in 2021) Additional sources: https://gmdpacademy.org/news/iqvia-report-clinical-trial-subjects-number-drops-due-to-decline-in-covid-19-enrollment/

24.

Research and Markets. Global clinical trials market 2024. Research and Markets https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/19/2866012/0/en/Global-Clinical-Trials-Market-Research-Report-2024-An-83-16-Billion-Market-by-2030-AI-Machine-Learning-and-Blockchain-will-Transform-the-Clinical-Trials-Landscape.html (2024)

Global clinical trials market valued at approximately $83 billion in 2024, with projections to reach $83-132 billion by 2030. Additional sources: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/04/19/2866012/0/en/Global-Clinical-Trials-Market-Research-Report-2024-An-83-16-Billion-Market-by-2030-AI-Machine-Learning-and-Blockchain-will-Transform-the-Clinical-Trials-Landscape.html | https://www.precedenceresearch.com/clinical-trials-market

25.

OpenSecrets. Defense sector lobbying summary. OpenSecrets https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/sectors/summary?id=D (2025)

Military sector federal lobbying totaled $198,009,793 in 2025, up from $159.5 million in 2024 and $142.9 million in 2023. Additional sources: https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/sectors/summary?id=D

26.

GiveWell. Cost per DALY for deworming programs. https://www.givewell.org/international/technical/programs/deworming/cost-effectiveness

Schistosomiasis treatment: $28.19-$70.48 per DALY (using arithmetic means with varying disability weights) Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) treatment: $82.54 per DALY (midpoint estimate) Note: GiveWell explicitly states this 2011 analysis is "out of date" and their current methodology focuses on long-term income effects rather than short-term health DALYs Additional sources: https://www.givewell.org/international/technical/programs/deworming/cost-effectiveness

27.

GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017. The Lancet 393, 1958–1972 (2019).

28.

Calculated from IHME Global Burden of Disease (2.55B DALYs) and global GDP per capita valuation. $109 trillion annual global disease burden.

The global economic burden of disease, including direct healthcare costs ($8.2 trillion) and lost productivity ($100.9 trillion from 2.55 billion DALYs × $39,570 per DALY), totals approximately $109.1 trillion annually.

29.

U.S. Department of Transportation. Departmental guidance on valuation of a statistical life in economic analysis. (2024).

30.

Think by Numbers. Pre-1962 drug development costs and timeline (think by numbers). Think by Numbers: How Many Lives Does FDA Save? https://thinkbynumbers.org/health/how-many-net-lives-does-the-fda-save/ (1962)

Historical estimates (1970-1985): USD $226M fully capitalized (2011 prices) 1980s drugs: $65M after-tax R&D (1990 dollars), $194M compounded to approval (1990 dollars) Modern comparison: $2-3B costs, 7-12 years (dramatic increase from pre-1962) Context: 1962 regulatory clampdown reduced new treatment production by 70%, dramatically increasing development timelines and costs Note: Secondary source; less reliable than Congressional testimony Additional sources: https://thinkbynumbers.org/health/how-many-net-lives-does-the-fda-save/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_drug_development | https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/01/changing-1962-law-slash-drug-prices/

31.

Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). BIO clinical development success rates 2011-2020. Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) https://go.bio.org/rs/490-EHZ-999/images/ClinicalDevelopmentSuccessRates2011_2020.pdf (2021)

Phase I duration: 2.3 years average Total time to market (Phase I-III + approval): 10.5 years average Phase transition success rates: Phase I→II: 63.2%, Phase II→III: 30.7%, Phase III→Approval: 58.1% Overall probability of approval from Phase I: 12% Note: Largest publicly available study of clinical trial success rates. Efficacy lag = 10.5 - 2.3 = 8.2 years post-safety verification. Additional sources: https://go.bio.org/rs/490-EHZ-999/images/ClinicalDevelopmentSuccessRates2011_2020.pdf

32.

Nature Medicine. Drug repurposing rate ( 30%). Nature Medicine https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03233-x (2024)

Approximately 30% of drugs gain at least one new indication after initial approval. Additional sources: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03233-x

33.

EPI. Education investment economic multiplier (2.1). EPI: Public Investments Outside Core Infrastructure https://www.epi.org/publication/bp348-public-investments-outside-core-infrastructure/

Early childhood education: Benefits 12X outlays by 2050; $8.70 per dollar over lifetime Educational facilities: $1 spent → $1.50 economic returns Energy efficiency comparison: 2-to-1 benefit-to-cost ratio (McKinsey) Private return to schooling: 9% per additional year (World Bank meta-analysis) Note: 2.1 multiplier aligns with benefit-to-cost ratios for educational infrastructure/energy efficiency. Early childhood education shows much higher returns (12X by 2050) Additional sources: https://www.epi.org/publication/bp348-public-investments-outside-core-infrastructure/ | https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/442521523465644318/pdf/WPS8402.pdf | https://freopp.org/whitepapers/establishing-a-practical-return-on-investment-framework-for-education-and-skills-development-to-expand-economic-opportunity/

34.

PMC. Healthcare investment economic multiplier (1.8). PMC: California Universal Health Care https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5954824/ (2022)

Healthcare fiscal multiplier: 4.3 (95% CI: 2.5-6.1) during pre-recession period (1995-2007) Overall government spending multiplier: 1.61 (95% CI: 1.37-1.86) Why healthcare has high multipliers: No effect on trade deficits (spending stays domestic); improves productivity & competitiveness; enhances long-run potential output Gender-sensitive fiscal spending (health & care economy) produces substantial positive growth impacts Note: "1.8" appears to be conservative estimate; research shows healthcare multipliers of 4.3 Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5954824/ | https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/government-investment-and-fiscal-stimulus | https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3849102/ | https://set.odi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Fiscal-multipliers-review.pdf

35.

World Bank. Infrastructure investment economic multiplier (1.6). World Bank: Infrastructure Investment as Stimulus https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/ppps/effectiveness-infrastructure-investment-fiscal-stimulus-what-weve-learned (2022)

Infrastructure fiscal multiplier: 1.6 during contractionary phase of economic cycle Average across all economic states: 1.5 (meaning $1 of public investment → $1.50 of economic activity) Time horizon: 0.8 within 1 year, 1.5 within 2-5 years Range of estimates: 1.5-2.0 (following 2008 financial crisis & American Recovery Act) Italian public construction: 1.5-1.9 multiplier US ARRA: 0.4-2.2 range (differential impacts by program type) Economic Policy Institute: Uses 1.6 for infrastructure spending (middle range of estimates) Note: Public investment less likely to crowd out private activity during recessions; particularly effective when monetary policy loose with near-zero rates Additional sources: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/ppps/effectiveness-infrastructure-investment-fiscal-stimulus-what-weve-learned | https://www.gihub.org/infrastructure-monitor/insights/fiscal-multiplier-effect-of-infrastructure-investment/ | https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/government-investment-and-fiscal-stimulus | https://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/economic_brief/2022/eb_22-04

36.

Mercatus. Military spending economic multiplier (0.6). Mercatus: Defense Spending and Economy https://www.mercatus.org/research/research-papers/defense-spending-and-economy

Ramey (2011): 0.6 short-run multiplier Barro (1981): 0.6 multiplier for WWII spending (war spending crowded out 40¢ private economic activity per federal dollar) Barro & Redlick (2011): 0.4 within current year, 0.6 over two years; increased govt spending reduces private-sector GDP portions General finding: $1 increase in deficit-financed federal military spending = less than $1 increase in GDP Variation by context: Central/Eastern European NATO: 0.6 on impact, 1.5-1.6 in years 2-3, gradual fall to zero Ramey & Zubairy (2018): Cumulative 1% GDP increase in military expenditure raises GDP by 0.7% Additional sources: https://www.mercatus.org/research/research-papers/defense-spending-and-economy | https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/world-war-ii-america-spending-deficits-multipliers-and-sacrifice | https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA700/RRA739-2/RAND_RRA739-2.pdf

37.

Nordhaus, W. D. Schumpeterian Profits in the American Economy: Theory and Measurement. https://www.nber.org/papers/w10433 (2004) doi:10.3386/w10433.

38.

Anthis, J. R. US factory farming estimates. (2024).

39.

Rosado, P. More than 80 billion land animals are slaughtered for meat every year. (2024).

40.

University of Oxford, LEAP. Reducing food’s environmental impacts. (2018).

41.

FDA. FDA-approved prescription drug products (20,000+). FDA https://www.fda.gov/media/143704/download

There are over 20,000 prescription drug products approved for marketing. Additional sources: https://www.fda.gov/media/143704/download

42.

FDA. FDA GRAS list count ( 570-700). FDA https://www.fda.gov/food/generally-recognized-safe-gras/gras-notice-inventory

The FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) list contains approximately 570–700 substances. Additional sources: https://www.fda.gov/food/generally-recognized-safe-gras/gras-notice-inventory

43.

Ritchie, H., Rosado, P. & Roser, M. Environmental impacts of food production. (2022).

44.

Food and Land Use Coalition. Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use. https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FOLU-GrowingBetter-GlobalReport-SummaryReport.pdf (2019).

45.

Gallup. (2013).

46.

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). IHME global burden of disease 2021 (2.88B DALYs, 1.13B YLD). Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ (2024)

In 2021, global DALYs totaled approximately 2.88 billion, comprising 1.75 billion Years of Life Lost (YLL) and 1.13 billion Years Lived with Disability (YLD). This represents a 13% increase from 2019 (2.55B DALYs), largely attributable to COVID-19 deaths and aging populations. YLD accounts for approximately 39% of total DALYs, reflecting the substantial burden of non-fatal chronic conditions. Additional sources: https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/ | https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00757-8/fulltext | https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/about-gbd

47.

Costs of War Project, Brown University Watson Institute. Environmental cost of war ($100B annually). Brown Watson Costs of War: Environmental Cost https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/social/environment

War on Terror emissions: 1.2B metric tons GHG (equivalent to 257M cars/year) Military: 5.5% of global GHG emissions (2X aviation + shipping combined) US DoD: World’s single largest institutional oil consumer, 47th largest emitter if nation Cleanup costs: $500B+ for military contaminated sites Gaza war environmental damage: $56.4B; landmine clearance: $34.6B expected Climate finance gap: Rich nations spend 30X more on military than climate finance Note: Military activities cause massive environmental damage through GHG emissions, toxic contamination, and long-term cleanup costs far exceeding current climate finance commitments Additional sources: https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/social/environment | https://earth.org/environmental-costs-of-wars/ | https://transformdefence.org/transformdefence/stats/

48.

SIPRI. 36:1 disparity ratio of spending on weapons over cures. SIPRI: Military Spending https://www.sipri.org/commentary/blog/2016/opportunity-cost-world-military-spending (2016)

Global military spending: $2.7 trillion (2024, SIPRI) Global government medical research: $68 billion (2024) Actual ratio: 39.7:1 in favor of weapons over medical research Military R&D alone: $85B (2004 data, 10% of global R&D) Military spending increases crowd out health: 1% ↑ military = 0.62% ↓ health spending Note: Ratio actually worse than 36:1. Each 1% increase in military spending reduces health spending by 0.62%, with effect more intense in poorer countries (0.962% reduction) Additional sources: https://www.sipri.org/commentary/blog/2016/opportunity-cost-world-military-spending | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9174441/ | https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R45403

49.

Think by Numbers. Lost human capital due to war ($270B annually). Think by Numbers https://thinkbynumbers.org/military/war/the-economic-case-for-peace-a-comprehensive-financial-analysis/ (2021)

Lost human capital from war: $300B annually (economic impact of losing skilled/productive individuals to conflict) Broader conflict/violence cost: $14T/year globally 1.4M violent deaths/year; conflict holds back economic development, causes instability, widens inequality, erodes human capital 2002: 48.4M DALYs lost from 1.6M violence deaths = $151B economic value (2000 USD) Economic toll includes: commodity prices, inflation, supply chain disruption, declining output, lost human capital Additional sources: https://thinkbynumbers.org/military/war/the-economic-case-for-peace-a-comprehensive-financial-analysis/ | https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/02/war-violence-costs-each-human-5-a-day/ | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19115548/

50.

PubMed. Psychological impact of war cost ($100B annually). PubMed: Economic Burden of PTSD https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35485933/

PTSD economic burden (2018 U.S.): $232.2B total ($189.5B civilian, $42.7B military) Civilian costs driven by: Direct healthcare ($66B), unemployment ($42.7B) Military costs driven by: Disability ($17.8B), direct healthcare ($10.1B) Exceeds costs of other mental health conditions (anxiety, depression) War-exposed populations: 2-3X higher rates of anxiety, depression, PTSD; women and children most vulnerable Note: Actual burden $232B, significantly higher than "$100B" claimed Additional sources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35485933/ | https://news.va.gov/103611/study-national-economic-burden-of-ptsd-staggering/ | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9957523/

51.

CGDev. UNHCR average refugee support cost. CGDev https://www.cgdev.org/blog/costs-hosting-refugees-oecd-countries-and-why-uk-outlier (2024)

The average cost of supporting a refugee is $1,384 per year. This represents total host country costs (housing, healthcare, education, security). OECD countries average $6,100 per refugee (mean 2022-2023), with developing countries spending $700-1,000. Global weighted average of $1,384 is reasonable given that 75-85% of refugees are in low/middle-income countries. Additional sources: https://www.cgdev.org/blog/costs-hosting-refugees-oecd-countries-and-why-uk-outlier | https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2024-11/UNHCR-WB-global-cost-of-refugee-inclusion-in-host-country-health-systems.pdf

52.

VA. Veteran healthcare cost projections. VA https://department.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2026-Budget-in-Brief.pdf (2026)

VA budget: $441.3B requested for FY 2026 (10% increase). Disability compensation: $165.6B in FY 2024 for 6.7M veterans. PACT Act projected to increase spending by $300B between 2022-2031. Costs under Toxic Exposures Fund: $20B (2024), $30.4B (2025), $52.6B (2026). Additional sources: https://department.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/2026-Budget-in-Brief.pdf | https://www.cbo.gov/publication/45615 | https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/veterans-healthcare/2025/june/va-budget-tops-400-billion-for-2025-from-higher-spending-on-mandated-benefits-medical-care

53.

Sinn, M. P. Private industry clinical trial spending estimate. (2025)

Estimated private pharmaceutical and biotech clinical trial spending is approximately $75-90 billion annually, representing roughly 90% of global clinical trial spending.

54.

Cybersecurity Ventures. Cybercrime economy projected to reach $10.5 trillion. Cybersecurity Ventures: $10.5T Cybercrime https://cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/ (2016)

Global cybercrime costs: $3T (2015) → $6T (2021) → $10.5T (2025 projected) 15% annual growth rate If measured as country, would be 3rd largest economy after US and China Greatest transfer of economic wealth in history Note: More profitable than global trade of all major illegal drugs combined. Includes data theft, productivity loss, IP theft, fraud Additional sources: <https://cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/> | https://www.boisestate.edu/cybersecurity/2022/06/16/cybercrime-to-cost-the-world-10-5-trillion-annually-by-2025/

55.

Sinn, M. P. The Political Dysfunction Tax. https://manual.warondisease.org/knowledge/appendix/political-dysfunction-tax.html (2025) doi:10.5281/zenodo.18603840

Quantifying the gap between current global governance and theoretical maximum welfare, estimating a 31-53% efficiency score and $97 trillion in annual opportunity costs.

56.

Bolt, J. & Zanden, J. L. van. Maddison project database 2020. (2020)

Historical GDP per capita estimates from year 1 to present. Global GDP per capita in 1900: approximately 1,260 in 1990 international dollars (roughly 3,150 in 2024 USD after PPP and inflation adjustment). Standard reference for long-run comparative economic history.

57.

Applied Clinical Trials. Global government spending on interventional clinical trials: $3-6 billion/year. Applied Clinical Trials https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/view/sizing-clinical-research-market

Estimated range based on NIH ( $0.8-5.6B), NIHR ($1.6B total budget), and EU funding ( $1.3B/year). Roughly 5-10% of global market. Additional sources: https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/view/sizing-clinical-research-market | https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30357-0/fulltext

58.

UBS. Credit suisse global wealth report 2023. Credit Suisse/UBS https://www.ubs.com/global/en/family-office-uhnw/reports/global-wealth-report-2023.html (2023)

Total global household wealth: USD 454.4 trillion (2022) Wealth declined by USD 11.3 trillion (-2.4%) in 2022, first decline since 2008 Wealth per adult: USD 84,718 Additional sources: https://www.ubs.com/global/en/family-office-uhnw/reports/global-wealth-report-2023.html

59.

World Health Organization. Life expectancy at age 60 (years): Global health observatory. (2021).

60.

Component country budgets. Global government medical research spending ($67.5B, 2023–2024). See component country budgets: NIH Budget https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/budget.

61.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World population prospects 2024: Summary of results. (2024)

The 2024 Revision of the World Population Prospects provides population estimates and projections for 237 countries or areas. Global median age approximately 30.5 years in 2024, reflecting population-weighted average across all regions.

62.

SIPRI. Global military spending ($2.72T, 2024). SIPRI https://www.sipri.org/publications/2025/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-world-military-expenditure-2024 (2025).

63.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Trends in world military expenditure, 2024. (2025).

64.

UN. Global population reaches 8 billion. UN: World Population 8 Billion Nov 15 2022 https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-reach-8-billion-15-november-2022 (2022)

Milestone: November 15, 2022 (UN World Population Prospects 2022) Day of Eight Billion" designated by UN Added 1 billion people in just 11 years (2011-2022) Growth rate: Slowest since 1950; fell under 1% in 2020 Future: 15 years to reach 9B (2037); projected peak 10.4B in 2080s Projections: 8.5B (2030), 9.7B (2050), 10.4B (2080-2100 plateau) Note: Milestone reached Nov 2022. Population growth slowing; will take longer to add next billion (15 years vs 11 years) Additional sources: https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-reach-8-billion-15-november-2022 | https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Eight_Billion

65.

Harvard Kennedy School. 3.5% participation tipping point. Harvard Kennedy School https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr/publications/35-rule-how-small-minority-can-change-world (2020)

The research found that nonviolent campaigns were twice as likely to succeed as violent ones, and once 3.5% of the population were involved, they were always successful. Chenoweth and Maria Stephan studied the success rates of civil resistance efforts from 1900 to 2006, finding that nonviolent movements attracted, on average, four times as many participants as violent movements and were more likely to succeed. Key finding: Every campaign that mobilized at least 3.5% of the population in sustained protest was successful (in their 1900-2006 dataset) Note: The 3.5% figure is a descriptive statistic from historical analysis, not a guaranteed threshold. One exception (Bahrain 2011-2014 with 6%+ participation) has been identified. The rule applies to regime change, not policy change in democracies. Additional sources: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr/publications/35-rule-how-small-minority-can-change-world | https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/2024-05/Erica%20Chenoweth_2020-005.pdf | https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190513-it-only-takes-35-of-people-to-change-the-world | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3.5%25_rule

66.

International IDEA. International IDEA voter turnout database world export. (2026)

Best current register-based estimate of global registered voters. Sum of the latest available country-level Registration counts in International IDEA’s world export on 2026-04-22 = 4,128,142,495 registered voters across 199 countries and political entities. Methodology notes that Registration is the number of names on the voters’ register as reported by electoral management bodies, and comparability is imperfect because voter rolls and registration systems differ across countries. Additional sources: https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/voter-turnout-database | https://www.idea.int/data-tools/export?type=region_only&themeId=293&world=all&loc=home

67.

Federation of American Scientists. World nuclear forces. Federation of American Scientists https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/ (2024)

As of early 2025, we estimate that the world’s nine nuclear-armed states possess a combined total of approximately 12,241 nuclear warheads. Additional sources: https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/

68.

PMC. Only 12% of human interactome targeted. PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10749231/ (2023)

Mapping 350,000+ clinical trials showed that only 12% of the human interactome has ever been targeted by drugs. Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10749231/

69.

Congressional Research Service. Internal Revenue Service Appropriations, FY2025 (IF12647). https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12647/IF12647.2.pdf (2024).

70.

McFarland, M. J., Hauer, M. E. & Reuben, A. Half of US population exposed to adverse lead levels in early childhood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, e2118631119 (2022)

Leaded gasoline, used in the US from 1923 until its on-road ban in 1996, exposed more than half of the 2015 US population to adverse blood-lead levels in early childhood. The authors estimate childhood lead exposure cost the population a cumulative 824 million IQ points, an average of 2.6 points per person, rising to 5.9 points for the most-exposed 1966-1970 birth cohort.

71.

Ritchie, H. & Roser, M. Half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture. (2019).

72.

Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 360, 987–992 (2018).

73.

OpenSecrets. Lobbyist statistics for washington d.c. OpenSecrets: Lobbying in US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying_in_the_United_States

Registered lobbyists: Over 12,000 (some estimates); 12,281 registered (2013) Former government employees as lobbyists: 2,200+ former federal employees (1998-2004), including 273 former White House staffers, 250 former Congress members & agency heads Congressional revolving door: 43% (86 of 198) lawmakers who left 1998-2004 became lobbyists; currently 59% leaving to private sector work for lobbying/consulting firms/trade groups Executive branch: 8% were registered lobbyists at some point before/after government service Additional sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying_in_the_United_States | https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving-door | https://www.citizen.org/article/revolving-congress/ | https://www.propublica.org/article/we-found-a-staggering-281-lobbyists-whove-worked-in-the-trump-administration

74.

Gosse, M. E. Assessing cost-effectiveness in healthcare: History of the $50,000 per QALY threshold. Sustainability Impact Metrics https://ecocostsvalue.com/EVR/img/references%20others/Gosse%202008%20QALY%20threshold%20financial.pdf (2008).

75.

National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative. BRAIN 2025: A scientific vision. (2014).

76.

Congressional Research Service. Advanced Gene Editing: CRISPR-Cas9. https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R44824/R44824.7.pdf (2018).

77.

NHGRI. Human genome project and CRISPR discovery. NHGRI https://www.genome.gov/11006929/2003-release-international-consortium-completes-hgp (2003)

Your DNA is 3 billion base pairs Read the entire code (Human Genome Project, completed 2003) Learned to edit it (CRISPR, discovered 2012) Additional sources: https://www.genome.gov/11006929/2003-release-international-consortium-completes-hgp | https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2020/press-release/

78.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. Electronic Health Records: First Year of CMS’s Incentive Programs Shows Opportunities to Improve Processes to Verify Providers Met Requirements. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-12-481 (2012).

79.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Candidate Awards Potential Value. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-207.pdf (2020).

80.

PCORnet. PCORnet quarterly progress report, Q4 2025. (2026).

81.

Jones, G. & Schneider, W. J. Intelligence, human capital, and economic growth: A Bayesian averaging of classical estimates (BACE) approach. Journal of Economic Growth 11, 71–93 (2006)

IQ was significant at the 95% level in 99.8% of 1,330 BACE growth regressions. A 1 point increase in a nation’s average IQ is associated with a persistent 0.11% annual increase in GDP per capita.

82.

Calculated from Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases (2024). Diseases getting first effective treatment each year. Calculated from Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases (2024) https://ojrd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13023-024-03398-1 (2024)

Under the current system, approximately 10-15 diseases per year receive their FIRST effective treatment. Calculation: 5% of 7,000 rare diseases ( 350) have FDA-approved treatment, accumulated over 40 years of the Orphan Drug Act = 9 rare diseases/year. Adding 5-10 non-rare diseases that get first treatments yields 10-20 total. FDA approves 50 drugs/year, but many are for diseases that already have treatments (me-too drugs, second-line therapies). Only 15 represent truly FIRST treatments for previously untreatable conditions.

83.

NIH. NIH budget (FY 2025). NIH https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/organization/budget (2024)

The budget total of $47.7 billion also includes $1.412 billion derived from PHS Evaluation financing... Additional sources: https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/organization/budget | https://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/

84.

Bentley et al. NIH spending on clinical trials: 3.3%. Bentley et al. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10349341/ (2023)

NIH spent $8.1 billion on clinical trials for approved drugs (2010-2019), representing 3.3% of relevant NIH spending. Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10349341/ | https://catalyst.harvard.edu/news/article/nih-spent-8-1b-for-phased-clinical-trials-of-drugs-approved-2010-19-10-of-reported-industry-spending/

85.

PMC. Standard medical research ROI ($20k-$100k/QALY). PMC: Cost-effectiveness Thresholds Used by Study Authors https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10114019/ (1990)

Typical cost-effectiveness thresholds for medical interventions in rich countries range from $50,000 to $150,000 per QALY. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) uses a $100,000-$150,000/QALY threshold for value-based pricing. Between 1990-2021, authors increasingly cited $100,000 (47% by 2020-21) or $150,000 (24% by 2020-21) per QALY as benchmarks for cost-effectiveness. Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10114019/ | https://icer.org/our-approach/methods-process/cost-effectiveness-the-qaly-and-the-evlyg/

86.

Manhattan Institute. RECOVERY trial 82× cost reduction. Manhattan Institute: Slow Costly Trials https://manhattan.institute/article/slow-costly-clinical-trials-drag-down-biomedical-breakthroughs

RECOVERY trial: $500 per patient ($20M for 48,000 patients = $417/patient) Typical clinical trial: $41,000 median per-patient cost Cost reduction: 80-82× cheaper ($41,000 ÷ $500 ≈ 82×) Efficiency: $50 per patient per answer (10 therapeutics tested, 4 effective) Dexamethasone estimated to save >630,000 lives Additional sources: https://manhattan.institute/article/slow-costly-clinical-trials-drag-down-biomedical-breakthroughs | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9293394/

87.

Trials. Patient willingness to participate in clinical trials. Trials: Patients’ Willingness Survey https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-015-1105-3

Recent surveys: 49-51% willingness (2020-2022) - dramatic drop from 85% (2019) during COVID-19 pandemic Cancer patients when approached: 88% consented to trials (Royal Marsden Hospital) Study type variation: 44.8% willing for drug trial, 76.2% for diagnostic study Top motivation: "Learning more about my health/medical condition" (67.4%) Top barrier: "Worry about experiencing side effects" (52.6%) Additional sources: https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-015-1105-3 | https://www.appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/view/industry-forced-to-rethink-patient-participation-in-trials | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7183682/

88.

The Commune. Pentagon audit failures ($2.46T unaccounted). The Commune https://thecommunemag.com/the-pentagon-misplaced-2-46-trillion-an-in-depth-look-at-the-financial-audit-failures (2024)

In the most recent audit, the Department of Defense (DoD) could not account for approximately 60% of its $4.1 trillion in assets, amounting to$2.46 trillion unaccounted for. Alternative title: Pentagon unsupported accounting adjustments ($6.5T, single year, US Army) In 2015, the Department of Defense's Inspector General reported that the Army could not adequately support$6.5 trillion in year-end adjustments, indicating severe accounting discrepancies. Additional sources: https://thecommunemag.com/the-pentagon-misplaced-2-46-trillion-an-in-depth-look-at-the-financial-audit-failures | https://accmag.com/audit-pentagon-cannot-account-for-6-5-trillion-dollars-is-taxpayer-money/

89.

Tufts CSDD. Cost of drug development.

Various estimates suggest $1.0 - $2.5 billion to bring a new drug from discovery through FDA approval, spread across 10 years. Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development often cited for $1.0 - $2.6 billion/drug. Industry reports (IQVIA, Deloitte) also highlight $2+ billion figures.

90.

Value in Health. Average lifetime revenue per successful drug. Value in Health: Sales Revenues for New Therapeutic Agents https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1098301524027542

Study of 361 FDA-approved drugs from 1995-2014 (median follow-up 13.2 years): Mean lifetime revenue: $15.2 billion per drug Median lifetime revenue: $6.7 billion per drug Revenue after 5 years: $3.2 billion (mean) Revenue after 10 years: $9.5 billion (mean) Revenue after 15 years: $19.2 billion (mean) Distribution highly skewed: top 25 drugs (7%) accounted for 38% of total revenue ($2.1T of $5.5T) Additional sources: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1098301524027542

91.

Lichtenberg, F. R. How many life-years have new drugs saved? A three-way fixed-effects analysis of 66 diseases in 27 countries, 2000-2013. International Health 11, 403–416 (2019)

Using 3-way fixed-effects methodology (disease-country-year) across 66 diseases in 22 countries, this study estimates that drugs launched after 1981 saved 148.7 million life-years in 2013 alone. The regression coefficients for drug launches 0-11 years prior (beta=-0.031, SE=0.008) and 12+ years prior (beta=-0.057, SE=0.013) on years of life lost are highly significant (p<0.0001). Confidence interval for life-years saved: 79.4M-239.8M (95 percent CI) based on propagated standard errors from Table 2.

92.

Deloitte. Pharmaceutical r&d return on investment (ROI). Deloitte: Measuring Pharmaceutical Innovation 2025 https://www.deloitte.com/ch/en/Industries/life-sciences-health-care/research/measuring-return-from-pharmaceutical-innovation.html (2025)

Deloitte’s annual study of top 20 pharma companies by R&D spend (2010-2024): 2024 ROI: 5.9% (second year of growth after decade of decline) 2023 ROI: 4.3% (estimated from trend) 2022 ROI: 1.2% (historic low since study began, 13-year low) 2021 ROI: 6.8% (record high, inflated by COVID-19 vaccines/treatments) Long-term trend: Declining for over a decade before 2023 recovery Average R&D cost per asset: $2.3B (2022), $2.23B (2024) These returns (1.2-5.9% range) fall far below typical corporate ROI targets (15-20%) Additional sources: https://www.deloitte.com/ch/en/Industries/life-sciences-health-care/research/measuring-return-from-pharmaceutical-innovation.html | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloittes-13th-annual-pharmaceutical-innovation-report-pharma-rd-return-on-investment-falls-in-post-pandemic-market-301738807.html | https://hitconsultant.net/2023/02/16/pharma-rd-roi-falls-to-lowest-level-in-13-years/

93.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. Drug trial success rate from phase i to approval. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery: Clinical Success Rates https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2016.136 (2016)

Overall Phase I to approval: 10-12.8% (conventional wisdom 10%, studies show 12.8%) Recent decline: Average LOA now 6.7% for Phase I (2014-2023 data) Leading pharma companies: 14.3% average LOA (range 8-23%) Varies by therapeutic area: Oncology 3.4%, CNS/cardiovascular lowest at Phase III Phase-specific success: Phase I 47-54%, Phase II 28-34%, Phase III 55-70% Note: 12% figure accurate for historical average. Recent data shows decline to 6.7%, with Phase II as primary attrition point (28% success) Additional sources: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2016.136 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6409418/ | https://academic.oup.com/biostatistics/article/20/2/273/4817524

94.

SofproMed. Phase 3 cost per trial range. SofproMed https://www.sofpromed.com/how-much-does-a-clinical-trial-cost

Phase 3 clinical trials cost between $20 million and $282 million per trial, with significant variation by therapeutic area and trial complexity. Additional sources: https://www.sofpromed.com/how-much-does-a-clinical-trial-cost | https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57126

95.

Ramsberg, J. & Platt, R. Pragmatic trial cost per patient (median $97). Learning Health Systems https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6508852/ (2018)

Meta-analysis of 108 embedded pragmatic clinical trials (2006-2016). The median cost per patient was $97 (IQR $19–$478), based on 2015 dollars. 25% of trials cost <$19/patient; 10 trials exceeded $1,000/patient. U.S. studies median $187 vs non-U.S. median $27. Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6508852/

96.

ICRC. International campaign to ban landmines (ICBL) - ottawa treaty (1997). ICRC https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jpjn.htm (1997)

ICBL: Founded 1992 by 6 NGOs (Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, Medico International, Mines Advisory Group, Physicians for Human Rights, Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation) Started with ONE staff member: Jody Williams as founding coordinator Grew to 1,000+ organizations in 60 countries by 1997 Ottawa Process: 14 months (October 1996 - December 1997) Convention signed by 122 states on December 3, 1997; entered into force March 1, 1999 Achievement: Nobel Peace Prize 1997 (shared by ICBL and Jody Williams) Government funding context: Canada established $100M CAD Canadian Landmine Fund over 10 years (1997); International donors provided $169M in 1997 for mine action (up from $100M in 1996) Additional sources: https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jpjn.htm | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Campaign_to_Ban_Landmines | https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1997/summary/ | https://un.org/press/en/1999/19990520.MINES.BRF.html | https://www.the-monitor.org/en-gb/reports/2003/landmine-monitor-2003/mine-action-funding.aspx

97.

OpenSecrets. Revolving door: Former members of congress. (2024)

388 former members of Congress are registered as lobbyists. Nearly 5,400 former congressional staffers have left Capitol Hill to become federal lobbyists in the past 10 years. Additional sources: https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving-door

98.

Kinch, M. S. & Griesenauer, R. H. Lost medicines: A longer view of the pharmaceutical industry with the potential to reinvigorate discovery. Drug Discovery Today 24, 875–880 (2019)

Research identified 1,600+ medicines available in 1962. The 1950s represented industry high-water mark with >30 new products in five of ten years; this rate would not be replicated until late 1990s. More than half (880) of these medicines were lost following implementation of Kefauver-Harris Amendment. The peak of 1962 would not be seen again until early 21st century. By 2016 number of organizations actively involved in R&D at level not seen since 1914.

99.

Baily, M. N. Pre-1962 drug development costs (baily 1972). Baily (1972) https://samizdathealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/hlthaff.1.2.6.pdf (1972)

Pre-1962: Average cost per new chemical entity (NCE) was $6.5 million (1980 dollars) Inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars: $6.5M (1980) ≈ $22.5M (2024), using CPI multiplier of 3.46× Real cost increase (inflation-adjusted): $22.5M (pre-1962) → $2,600M (2024) = 116× increase Note: This represents the most comprehensive academic estimate of pre-1962 drug development costs based on empirical industry data Additional sources: https://samizdathealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/hlthaff.1.2.6.pdf

100.

Think by Numbers. Pre-1962 physician-led clinical trials. Think by Numbers: How Many Lives Does FDA Save? https://thinkbynumbers.org/health/how-many-net-lives-does-the-fda-save/ (1966)

Pre-1962: Physicians could report real-world evidence directly 1962 Drug Amendments replaced "premarket notification" with "premarket approval", requiring extensive efficacy testing Impact: New regulatory clampdown reduced new treatment production by 70%; lifespan growth declined from 4 years/decade to 2 years/decade Drug Efficacy Study Implementation (DESI): NAS/NRC evaluated 3,400+ drugs approved 1938-1962 for safety only; reviewed >3,000 products, >16,000 therapeutic claims FDA has had authority to accept real-world evidence since 1962, clarified by 21st Century Cures Act (2016) Note: Specific "144,000 physicians" figure not verified in sources Additional sources: https://thinkbynumbers.org/health/how-many-net-lives-does-the-fda-save/ | https://www.fda.gov/drugs/enforcement-activities-fda/drug-efficacy-study-implementation-desi | http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/history/archives/collections/des-1966-1969-1.html

101.

GAO. 95% of diseases have 0 FDA-approved treatments. GAO https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-106774 (2025)

95% of diseases have no treatment Additional sources: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-106774 | https://globalgenes.org/rare-disease-facts/

102.

Oren Cass, Manhattan Institute. RECOVERY trial cost per patient. Oren Cass https://manhattan.institute/article/slow-costly-clinical-trials-drag-down-biomedical-breakthroughs (2023)

The RECOVERY trial, for example, cost only about $500 per patient... By contrast, the median per-patient cost of a pivotal trial for a new therapeutic is around $41,000. Additional sources: https://manhattan.institute/article/slow-costly-clinical-trials-drag-down-biomedical-breakthroughs

103.

NHS England; Águas et al. RECOVERY trial global lives saved ( 1 million). NHS England: 1 Million Lives Saved https://www.england.nhs.uk/2021/03/covid-treatment-developed-in-the-nhs-saves-a-million-lives/ (2021)

Dexamethasone saved 1 million lives worldwide (NHS England estimate, March 2021, 9 months after discovery). UK alone: 22,000 lives saved. Methodology: Águas et al. Nature Communications 2021 estimated 650,000 lives (range: 240,000-1,400,000) for July-December 2020 alone, based on RECOVERY trial mortality reductions (36% for ventilated, 18% for oxygen-only patients) applied to global COVID hospitalizations. June 2020 announcement: Dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to 1/3 (ventilated patients), 1/5 (oxygen patients). Impact immediate: Adopted into standard care globally within hours of announcement. Additional sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2021/03/covid-treatment-developed-in-the-nhs-saves-a-million-lives/ | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-21134-2 | https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/steroid-has-saved-the-lives-of-one-million-covid-19-patients-worldwide-figures-show | https://www.recoverytrial.net/news/recovery-trial-celebrates-two-year-anniversary-of-life-saving-dexamethasone-result

104.

World Bank. Market capitalization of listed domestic companies (current US$). (2026).

105.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum. September 11 attack facts. (2024)

2,977 people were killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks: 2,753 at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 passengers and crew on United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

106.

CSIS. Smallpox eradication ROI. CSIS https://www.csis.org/analysis/smallpox-eradication-model-global-cooperation.

107.

ICER. Value per QALY (standard economic value). ICER https://icer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Reference-Case-4.3.25.pdf (2024)

Standard economic value per QALY: $100,000–$150,000. This is the US and global standard willingness-to-pay threshold for interventions that add costs. Dominant interventions (those that save money while improving health) are favorable regardless of this threshold. Additional sources: https://icer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Reference-Case-4.3.25.pdf

108.

GAO. Annual cost of u.s. Sugar subsidies. GAO: Sugar Program https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106144

Consumer costs: $2.5-3.5 billion per year (GAO estimate) Net economic cost: $1 billion per year 2022: US consumers paid 2X world price for sugar Program costs $3-4 billion/year but no federal budget impact (costs passed directly to consumers via higher prices) Employment impact: 10,000-20,000 manufacturing jobs lost annually in sugar-reliant industries (confectionery, etc.) Multiple studies confirm: Sweetener Users Association ($2.9-3.5B), AEI ($2.4B consumer cost), Beghin & Elobeid ($2.9-3.5B consumer surplus) Additional sources: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106144 | https://www.heritage.org/agriculture/report/the-us-sugar-program-bad-consumers-bad-agriculture-and-bad-america | https://www.aei.org/articles/the-u-s-spends-4-billion-a-year-subsidizing-stalinist-style-domestic-sugar-production/

109.

World Bank. Swiss military budget as percentage of GDP. World Bank: Military Expenditure https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=CH

2023: 0.70272% of GDP (World Bank) 2024: CHF 5.95 billion official military spending When including militia system costs: 1% GDP (CHF 8.75B) Comparison: Near bottom in Europe; only Ireland, Malta, Moldova spend less (excluding microstates with no armies) Additional sources: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?locations=CH | https://www.avenir-suisse.ch/en/blog-defence-spending-switzerland-is-in-better-shape-than-it-seems/ | https://tradingeconomics.com/switzerland/military-expenditure-percent-of-gdp-wb-data.html

110.

World Bank. Switzerland vs. US GDP per capita comparison. World Bank: Switzerland GDP Per Capita https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=CH

2024 GDP per capita (PPP-adjusted): Switzerland $93,819 vs United States $75,492 Switzerland’s GDP per capita 24% higher than US when adjusted for purchasing power parity Nominal 2024: Switzerland $103,670 vs US $85,810 Additional sources: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=CH | https://tradingeconomics.com/switzerland/gdp-per-capita-ppp | https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/USA/gdp_per_capita_ppp/

111.

FDA Study via NCBI. Trial costs, FDA study. FDA Study via NCBI https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6248200/

Overall, the 138 clinical trials had an estimated median (IQR) cost of $19.0 million ($12.2 million-$33.1 million)... The clinical trials cost a median (IQR) of $41,117 ($31,802-$82,362) per patient. Additional sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6248200/

112.

WHO. Annual global economic burden of alzheimer’s and other dementias. WHO: Dementia Fact Sheet https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia (2019)

Global cost: $1.3 trillion (2019 WHO-commissioned study) 50% from informal caregivers (family/friends, 5 hrs/day) 74% of costs in high-income countries despite 61% of patients in LMICs $818B (2010) → $1T (2018) → $1.3T (2019) - rapid growth Note: Costs increased 35% from 2010-2015 alone. Informal care represents massive hidden economic burden Additional sources: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia | https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12901

113.

JAMA Oncology. Annual global economic burden of cancer. JAMA Oncology: Global Cost 2020-2050 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2801798 (2020)

2020-2050 projection: $25.2 trillion total ($840B/year average) 2010 annual cost: $1.16 trillion (direct costs only) Recent estimate: $3 trillion/year (all costs included) Top 5 cancers: lung (15.4%), colon/rectum (10.9%), breast (7.7%), liver (6.5%), leukemia (6.3%) Note: China/US account for 45% of global burden; 75% of deaths in LMICs but only 50.0% of economic cost Additional sources: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2801798 | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00634-9

114.

CDC. U.s. Chronic disease healthcare spending. CDC https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

Chronic diseases account for 90% of U.S. healthcare spending ( $3.7T/year). Additional sources: https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

115.

Diabetes Care. Annual global economic burden of diabetes. Diabetes Care: Global Economic Burden https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/41/5/963/36522/Global-Economic-Burden-of-Diabetes-in-Adults

2015: $1.3 trillion (1.8% of global GDP) 2030 projections: $2.1T-2.5T depending on scenario IDF health expenditure: $760B (2019) → $845B (2045 projected) 2/3 direct medical costs ($857B), 1/3 indirect costs (lost productivity) Note: Costs growing rapidly; expected to exceed $2T by 2030 Additional sources: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/41/5/963/36522/Global-Economic-Burden-of-Diabetes-in-Adults | https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30097-9

116.

CBO. The 2024 Long-Term Budget Outlook. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60039 (2024).

117.

Environmental Working Group. US farm subsidy database and analysis. Environmental Working Group https://farm.ewg.org/ (2024)

US agricultural subsidies total approximately $30 billion annually, but create much larger economic distortions. Top 10% of farms receive 78% of subsidies, benefits concentrated in commodity crops (corn, soy, wheat, cotton), environmental damage from monoculture incentivized, and overall deadweight loss estimated at $50-120 billion annually. Additional sources: https://farm.ewg.org/ | https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-sector-income-finances/government-payments-the-safety-net/

118.

Drug Policy Alliance. The drug war by the numbers. (2021)

Since 1971, the war on drugs has cost the United States an estimated $1 trillion in enforcement. The federal drug control budget was $41 billion in 2022. Mass incarceration costs the U.S. at least $182 billion every year, with over $450 billion spent to incarcerate individuals on drug charges in federal prisons.

119.

International Monetary Fund. IMF fossil fuel subsidies data: 2023 update. (2023)

Globally, fossil fuel subsidies were $7 trillion in 2022 or 7.1 percent of GDP. The United States subsidies totaled $649 billion. Underpricing for local air pollution costs and climate damages are the largest contributor, accounting for about 30 percent each.

120.

Papanicolas, Irene et al. Health care spending in the united states and other high-income countries. Papanicolas et al. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2674671 (2018)

The US spent approximately twice as much as other high-income countries on medical care (mean per capita: $9,892 vs $5,289), with similar utilization but much higher prices. Administrative costs accounted for 8% of US spending vs 1-3% in other countries. US spending on pharmaceuticals was $1,443 per capita vs $749 elsewhere. Despite spending more, US health outcomes are not better. Additional sources: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2674671

121.

Hsieh, C.-T. & Moretti, E. Housing constraints and spatial misallocation. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/mac.20170388 (2019)

We quantify the amount of spatial misallocation of labor across US cities and its aggregate costs. Tight land-use restrictions in high-productivity cities like New York, San Francisco, and Boston lowered aggregate US growth by 36% from 1964 to 2009. Local constraints on housing supply have had enormous effects on the national economy. Additional sources: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/mac.20170388

122.

Yale Budget Lab. The fiscal, economic, and distributional effects of all u.s. tariffs. (2025)

Accounting for all the 2025 US tariffs and retaliation implemented to date, the level of real GDP is persistently -0.6% smaller in the long run, the equivalent of $160 billion 2024$ annually.

123.

Tax Foundation. Tax compliance costs the US economy $546 billion annually. https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/irs-tax-compliance-costs/ (2024)

Americans will spend over 7.9 billion hours complying with IRS tax filing and reporting requirements in 2024. This costs the economy roughly $413 billion in lost productivity. In addition, the IRS estimates that Americans spend roughly $133 billion annually in out-of-pocket costs, bringing the total compliance costs to $546 billion, or nearly 2 percent of GDP.

124.

Cook, C., Cole, G., Asaria, P., Jabbour, R. & Francis, D. P. Annual global economic burden of heart disease. International Journal of Cardiology https://www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com/article/S0167-5273(13)02238-9/abstract (2014)

Heart failure alone: $108 billion/year (2012 global analysis, 197 countries) US CVD: $555B (2016) → projected $1.8T by 2050 LMICs total CVD loss: $3.7T cumulative (2011-2015, 5-year period) CVD is costliest disease category in most developed nations Note: No single $2.1T global figure found; estimates vary widely by scope and year Additional sources: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001258

125.

Manuel, D. U.s. Defense spending history: 100 years of military budgets. DaveManuel.com https://www.davemanuel.com/us-defense-spending-history-military-budget-data.php (2025)

US military spending in constant 2024 dollars: 1939 $29B (pre-WW2 baseline), 1940 $37B, 1944 $1,383B, 1945 $1,420B (peak), 1946 $674B, 1947 $176B, 1948 $117B, 2024 $886B. The post-WW2 demobilization cut spending 88% in two years (1945-1947). Current peacetime spending ($886B) is 30x the pre-WW2 baseline and 62% of peak WW2 spending, in inflation-adjusted dollars.

126.

Statista. US military budget as percentage of GDP. Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/262742/countries-with-the-highest-military-spending/ (2024)

U.S. military spending amounted to 3.5% of GDP in 2024. In 2024, the U.S. spent nearly $1 trillion on its military budget, equal to 3.4% of GDP. Additional sources: https://www.statista.com/statistics/262742/countries-with-the-highest-military-spending/ | https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/2504_fs_milex_2024.pdf

127.

U.S. Senate. Treaties. U.S. Senate https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/treaties.htm

The Constitution provides that the president ’shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur’ (Article II, section 2). Treaties are formal agreements with foreign nations that require two-thirds Senate approval. 67 senators (two-thirds of 100) must vote to ratify a treaty for it to take effect. Additional sources: https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/treaties.htm

128.

Mexico News Daily. Survey finds mexican migrants pay average of US $7,000 to ’coyotes’. (2023).

129.

Federal Election Commission. Statistical summary of 24-month campaign activity of the 2023-2024 election cycle. (2023)

Presidential candidates raised $2 billion; House and Senate candidates raised $3.8 billion and spent $3.7 billion; PACs raised $15.7 billion and spent $15.5 billion. Total federal campaign spending approximately $20 billion. Additional sources: https://www.fec.gov/updates/statistical-summary-of-24-month-campaign-activity-of-the-2023-2024-election-cycle/

130.

OpenSecrets. Federal lobbying hit record $4.4 billion in 2024. (2024)

Total federal lobbying reached record $4.4 billion in 2024. The $150 million increase in lobbying continues an upward trend that began in 2016. Additional sources: https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/02/federal-lobbying-set-new-record-in-2024/

131.

DOT. DOT value of statistical life ($13.6M). DOT: VSL Guidance 2024 https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/transportation-policy/revised-departmental-guidance-on-valuation-of-a-statistical-life-in-economic-analysis (2024)

Current VSL (2024): $13.7 million (updated from $13.6M) Used in cost-benefit analyses for transportation regulations and infrastructure Methodology updated in 2013 guidance, adjusted annually for inflation and real income VSL represents aggregate willingness to pay for safety improvements that reduce fatalities by one Note: DOT has published VSL guidance periodically since 1993. Current $13.7M reflects 2024 inflation/income adjustments Additional sources: https://www.transportation.gov/office-policy/transportation-policy/revised-departmental-guidance-on-valuation-of-a-statistical-life-in-economic-analysis | https://www.transportation.gov/regulations/economic-values-used-in-analysis

132.

PLOS ONE. Cost per DALY for vitamin a supplementation. PLOS ONE: Cost-effectiveness of "Golden Mustard" for Treating Vitamin A Deficiency in India (2010) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0012046 (2010)

India: $23-$50 per DALY averted (least costly intervention, $1,000-$6,100 per death averted) Sub-Saharan Africa (2022): $220-$860 per DALY (Burkina Faso: $220, Kenya: $550, Nigeria: $860) WHO estimates for Africa: $40 per DALY for fortification, $255 for supplementation Uganda fortification: $18-$82 per DALY (oil: $18, sugar: $82) Note: Wide variation reflects differences in baseline VAD prevalence, coverage levels, and whether intervention is supplementation or fortification Additional sources: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0012046 | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266495

133.

Correlates of War Project. National material capabilities (NMC) dataset. (2017).

134.

UN News. Clean water & sanitation (LMICs) ROI. UN News https://news.un.org/en/story/2014/11/484032 (2014).

135.

PMC. Cost-effectiveness threshold ($50,000/QALY). PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5193154/

The $50,000/QALY threshold is widely used in US health economics literature, originating from dialysis cost benchmarks in the 1980s. In US cost-utility analyses, 77.5% of authors use either $50,000 or $100,000 per QALY as reference points. Most successful health programs cost $3,000-10,000 per QALY. WHO-CHOICE uses GDP per capita multiples (1× GDP/capita = "very cost-effective", 3× GDP/capita = "cost-effective"), which for the US ( $70,000 GDP/capita) translates to $70,000-$210,000/QALY thresholds. Additional sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5193154/ | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9278384/

136.

Sinn, M. P. The 1% Treaty. https://manual.warondisease.org/knowledge/solution/1-percent-treaty.html (2025) doi:10.5281/zenodo.20076511

Your governments possess nuclear weapons sufficient to end civilization 122 times but have not cured Alzheimer’s once. This treaty asks them to be 1% more rational.

137.

Sinn, M. P. The 1% Treaty: An Incentive-Compatible Approach to Ending War and Disease. https://manual.warondisease.org/knowledge/economics/1-pct-treaty-impact.html (2025) doi:10.5281/zenodo.18161560

6.65 thousand diseases have zero FDA-approved treatments; at current trial capacity, exploring them takes 443 years. Redirecting 1% of military spending scales capacity 12.3x, cutting the timeline to 36 years and preventing 10.7 billion deaths. At $0.00177/DALY, 50.3kx more cost-effective than the best existing interventions. The result holds across every specified adoption pathway.