Question

Please discuss in detail your analysis on the important domestic and global issue of developing pharmaceuticals which are affordable during their patent term, while still returning the invested funds plus a reasonable profit to the patent holder.

Answer 1

The big multinational pharmaceutical firms as a result of the growing generic drug industry, rely on patents to protect the intellectual property of their products because after patenting the manufacturers can provide those drugs exclusively for that period and finally can recollect the money spent on research and drug development.

These manufactures to get their drugs patented, alters the configuration of the drugs. As a result, prices are hiked, thereby making many medications inaccessible to the poor, particularly in developing countries.

For example, the global patent laws imposed in India in 2005, said that certain drugs cannot be manufactured by the generic industry. India has made some patents for TB, HIV and hepatitis C medicines and the manufacturers of US firms has stopped reproducing those drugs. Thus, the Indian manufacturers are free to make the cheaper generics of the same products.

Such laws and conditions differ the patenting issues with the manufacturers.