4 ms·
You can always wait 20 years until the patent runs out. Or just grant them a shorter patent in the first place. Or subject patent protection, as opposed to tr
by fiatmoney 12y ago
You can always wait 20 years until the patent runs out. Or just grant them a shorter patent in the first place. Or subject patent protection, as opposed to trade secret protection (which I don't believe is even a practical option for drugs right now due to the FDA approval process), to certain public-interest pricing restrictions.
- refurb 12y agoYou raise a good point. Wonder drugs such as Lipitor are now in the public domain. You can go to Walmart and get a Lipitor Rx for $4/month. Millions of lives have been saved (and will continue to be saved) by drugs that are now in the public domain.
- nsxwolf 12y agoWith a Number Needed to Treat of 100, can Lipitor really be considered a "wonder drug"? A wonder for Pfizer's bank account maybe.
- refurb 12y agoFair point, but also consider the options we have in terms of reducing cardiovascular complications. Most of the other drugs don't work as well and have more severe side-effects. It may not stack up well against other drugs, but for CV disease, it's the best we've got for reducing CV risk.