This. The US patent system rewards the same kind of "innovation" as the financial sector did pre-subprime. Look at the introduction rate of new drugs vs derivat

This. The US patent system rewards the same kind of "innovation" as the financial sector did pre-subprime. Look at the introduction rate of new drugs vs derivatives of old (and about to expire) drugs over the past decades to see what I mean. The argument that "if drugs were cheaper (=they saved more lives) pharma r&d would crumble" is facetious and speaks volumes about the priorities of the individual making the argument.