Imaginos1892 wrote:Those 'generic drugs' are copies of 'brand-name' drugs that cost billions to develop. Without the original, expensive drug there wouldn't be any generics.
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“What’s your secret for living to a hundred?”
100-year-old man: “Don’t die.”
That's how the patent system works for everything from drugs to football helmets. I don't have a problem with the basic concept although in the specific area of pharmaceuticals it could use some tweaking. The time in which the patent is in force includes the R&D period when the drug can't be sold. The problem with setting it up this way is that super novel drugs have a much longer R&D period (more bugs to work out when treading new ground). This gives companies less time to recoup their investment and discourages the development of super novel drugs. Perhaps instead of using patent law to protect drugs, there should be a period of market exclusivity instead i.e. Upon approval the new drug (including any modifications of the compound which would have been covered under patent law as being obvious to anyone skilled in the art) gets a 10 year period before generics can be manufactured.