4 ms·
Cynical summary, basically: "The first patent on GS-441524 was issued in 2009, while the first patent for remdesivir was issued in 2017."
by conistonwater 6y ago
Cynical summary, basically: "The first patent on GS-441524 was issued in 2009, while the first patent for remdesivir was issued in 2017."
- credit_guy 6y agoWhy so cynic? "On 12 May 2020, Gilead announced that it had granted non-exclusive voluntary licenses to five generic drug companies to manufacture remdesivir for distribution to 127 countries. The agreements were structured so that the licensees can set their own prices and will not have to pay royalties to Gilead until the WHO declares an end to the COVID-19 emergency or another medicine or vaccine is approved for COVID-19, whichever comes first" [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remdesivir#Access https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remdesivir#Access
- neltnerb 6y agoDoesn't matter if it's so hard to manufacture that the generics miss the train. If they did the same for the other drug then I'd trust their motives more. If you were a generics manufacturer would you invest in a complex process that will definitely turn into a wasted investment within just a few years when Gilead starts demanding royalties?
- pkaye 6y agoSo its all about money for the generics manufacturers too?
- neltnerb 6y agoNot all of them, but who would set up a production line for something that will have unknown royalties required to keep it running within the next year or two? It'll take them that long just to get it up and running smoothly. Even if they made zero profit it's a questionable move. "until the WHO declares an end to the COVID-19 emergency or another medicine or vaccine is approved for COVID-19, whichever comes first" could easily be very soon, after which who knows what they'll demand. If they put their patent on GS-441524 in the public domain, on the other hand, it'd be quite clear that they're not creating a situation where the second the WHO changes the status they won't suddenly demand price increases to whatever level they want or punishing royalties to keep producing the drug that the generics company already constructed a manufacturing line for. Maybe an analogy is suitable here -- I see this as like Apple telling everyone that they won't demand royalties on rounded corners for six months. Would you tool up a manufacturing line to make rounded corners if given that proposition? Because setting up a chemical manufacturing line takes even longer than reconfiguring a machining operation.
- trhway 6y agotechnically the chemical manufacturing lines are already there - there is an active gray market for GS-441524 produced in China for cat FIP.
- sp332 6y agoAlso "Gilead is providing the entirety of this existing supply at no cost, to treat patients with the most severe symptoms of COVID-19. The 1.5 million individual doses are available for compassionate use, expanded access and clinical trials and will be donated for broader distribution following any potential future regulatory authorizations." https://www.gilead.com/stories/articles/an-update-on-covid-19-from-our-chairman-and-ceo https://www.gilead.com/stories/articles/an-update-on-covid-1...
- conistonwater 6y agoI just kind of assumed it was about patent royalties, I didn't really check.
- jacob019 6y agoSo greed and our patent system are getting in the way of saving lives.
- icegreentea2 6y agoWhy do you think back catalogs of nucleoside analogues exist? Also, sure it was patented earlier than remdesivir, but patent term is 20 years - GS-441524 has 9 more years on patent. Plenty of exclusive value that Gilead can extract.
- dmix 6y agoThere's plenty of arguments against patents in software and other innovations. But not many people complain about it for drug research where the timelines and type of research actually make sense for such a system.
- forgotmylogin2 6y agoIf our patent system didn't exist, the drug would have never been developed in the first place.
- michaelmrose 6y agoProve it.
- briandear 6y agoActually greed and the patent system provide an extremely profound incentive for saving lives.
- Mvandenbergh 6y agoSure but they're both currently under patent protection. Since much of the value of the drug is likely to come in the next 18 months, they're both equally protected.
- s1artibartfast 6y agoWhy do you assume that? They could be modeling 20 year sales.
- tjohns 6y agoBecause after 12-18 months, we'll hopefully have a vaccine and won't need to resort to an antiviral drug anymore. At least assuming people get vaccinated.
- briandear 6y agoWhat’s the rationale for expecting a vaccine in the next 12-18 months? To my knowledge there has never been a vaccine for a coronavirus.
- khuey 6y agoThere are vaccines for animal coronaviruses. There's never been one in humans because there's never been a need for one in humans before.
- BurningFrog 6y agoThere will only be a pandemic market for a while.
- refurb 6y agoSure, but gov'ts will want to stockpile the stuff like Tamiflu. Everyone is going to want to be prepared for the next outbreak.
- refurb 6y agoFirst patent issued, but what about the others? Most drugs have several patents (composition of matter, manufacturing process, formulations, etc).