Chris Snyder Discusses FDA Drug Repurposing and Market Incentives

Published August 20, 2026 · Featuring Christopher (Chris) Snyder of Dartmouth College

Christopher (Chris) Snyder, a professor at Dartmouth College, discusses FDA drug repurposing and market incentives in the Health Policy Podcast.

Christopher (Chris) Snyder, a professor at Dartmouth College, discusses the complexities of the FDA drug approval process, drug pricing programs, healthcare regulation, and market incentives in the latest episode of the Health Policy Podcast. Snyder highlights the potential for drug repurposing and the economic implications of generic drug usage.

WASHINGTON — August 20, 2026 — In a recent episode of the Health Policy Podcast, Christopher (Chris) Snyder, the Joel Z. and Susan Hyatt Professor in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College, explored the FDA drug approval process and the challenges surrounding drug pricing and market incentives. Snyder emphasizes the importance of drug repurposing and its potential to address healthcare needs while navigating the complexities of healthcare regulation.

Snyder explains that many drugs initially developed for one purpose may have secondary uses that remain unexplored. "The idea is that often a drug that was initially discovered for one use or another actually has a second life as a different use," he said. He pointed out that there are potentially hundreds of generic treatments that are overlooked. "There's a study that suggests that there might be hundreds as many as eight hundred missing treatments of generics," Snyder added.

The discussion highlights the economic disincentives for generic drug manufacturers to pursue repurposing efforts. Once a drug goes off patent, the financial incentives to explore additional uses diminish significantly. "The thing is that that incentive doesn't hold for generic drugs," Snyder noted. He advocates for policy changes that could enhance incentives for drug repurposing, particularly for generics.

Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is a prestigious Ivy League institution known for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to research and innovation across various fields.

About the Health Policy Podcast

The Health Policy Podcast focuses on critical issues in health policy, including energy, infrastructure, and economic growth, featuring expert insights and discussions aimed at informing policy decisions and public understanding.

About Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university founded in 1769 in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is one of the nine colonial colleges established before the American Revolution and is consistently ranked among the nation’s leading universities. Dartmouth enrolls approximately 4,400 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students across its undergraduate college and graduate and professional schools, including the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering and Tuck School of Business. The college is known for its strong liberal arts curriculum, undergraduate focus and the flexible year-round Dartmouth Plan academic calendar.

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About the Guest

Christopher (Chris) Snyder — Joel Z. and Susan Hyatt Professor in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College

Christopher Snyder is the Joel Z. and Susan Hyatt Professor in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College. He specializes in the economics of markets, contracting, and health. He is a Research Associate in the National Bureau of Economic ResearchOpens in a new window, Faculty Co-director of the Market Shaping Accelerator, and Treasurer of the Industrial Organization Society. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife, Maura Doyle, who is a senior lecturer in the Economics Department.

About the Health Policy Podcast

The Health Policy Podcast hosts conversations on energy, infrastructure, policy and economic growth — interviewing the operators, regulators, and innovators powering America's grid, gas, nuclear, and industrial future. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.