Should Drug Patents Be Extended

[cali]

Last edited Mon Oct 28, 2013, 01:36 PM - Edit history (1)

That's it. That's the question. Yes or no- or "I dunno".

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	Yes
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	Hell no!
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	No
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[Jackpine Radical]

1. No.

Particularly when the drugs are developed with the assistance of Federal grants & university research facilities.

[cali]

2. so cali, why are you posting this?

here's why:

<snip>

Washington has been insisting on the patent extension in TPP talks on intellectual property to protect the interest of U.S. drug makers. But emerging economies like Malaysia have voiced concern, contending extended patent protection would delay the availability of less expensive generic drugs.

<snip>

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130921/us-japan-mull-joint-tpp-proposal-2-track-drug-patent-p

[bemildred]

3. You need to add "Hell No!". nt

[cali]

4. In this particular case, your wish is my command

[bemildred]

5. Thank you.

(frets nervously waiting for new option)

Edit: aaaaaahhhhhhhhh

[hunter]

6. Drug patents should be discouraged...

... and most pharmaceutical research conducted by heavily subsidized in public institutions.

Pharmaceutical companies that abuse their patent privileges should see those patents nationalized and released to the public domain.

Then maybe pharmaceutical companies would concentrate on the business of manufacturing safe, effective, and affordable drugs.

They don't now, instead they spend most of their research looking for drugs they can patent and market heavily for high profits. Their business isn't about public health, it's about how much money they can make. Drugs that would benefit only a small number of people are abandoned unless they can be sold at "your money or your life" profits. Drugs that are not as effective as some old generics, with worse side effects, are heavily marketed with sales supported by fraudulent research.

The pharmaceutical companies are not seeking inexpensive effective drugs that are easily manufactured, or (Great Invisible Hand of the Market Forbid!) drugs that can be grown in a garden or brewed like beer. They want to find a pill they can make for ten cents and sell by the billions for two dollars each. They're seeking the Wall Street gold.