Intellectual property (incl. patents, etc) is a tool that countries use to stimulate innovation. More practically, there's no market in India for this pill at

Intellectual property (incl. patents, etc) is a tool that countries use to stimulate innovation. More practically, there's no market in India for this pill at $1000 and there is at $4. The original manufacturer's most reasonable course of action would be to step in and start competing at $4 per pill, with a slight benefit of the "brand". Then they would have $4 per pill whereas now they have $0. And, you know, the company & investors planned to recoup the costs and profit based on projected revenues in US/EU markets. If their strategy was, we'll develop this drug, start selling it in India for 1K a pop, ...., profit!, they'd have problems far more serious than this one. And speaking of fairness, you can hardly argue that using "stolen" knowledge is unethical if, e.g. with cheap antiretrovirals you save tens of millions of people. "Stolen"? who gives a fuck -- the drug developer & investors made a profit in the US, the model works, they'll develop new drugs again. Way more useful than the vast majority of foreign aid. (And that's not to mention the benefits of economic activity and growth of human capital that wouldn't happen if instead the government was just buying the drugs from outside instead of having domestic companies figure out how to make them). So, don't get your panties in a bunch :)) Things are going to be fine.