> Figure 2. ... In the last decade, the deceleration in pharmaceutical productivity seems to have ameliorated ...

Uh, what? It's a semi-log scale and the data has been statistically bouncing off 0 for a decade. It can't go below 0 but it's clearly flat-lined. Hint: on a log scale, you're never getting to 0 unless your function crosses the axis. But this function can't cross 0.*

* It could cross 0 if you start counting withdrawals of products from the market, but that would be a different function with different inputs.