Patents kill pharma innovation
Elif Kavusturan ’20, November, Suffolk University, “REFORMING U.S. PATENT LAW TO ENABLE ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,” Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, Volume 18 Issue 1 Fall Article 2, accessed July 16, 2024, https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1339&context=njtip
The patent system has long been criticized for limiting access to pharmaceuticals. Patents grant inventors a limited period of exclusivity with an attempt to allow recoupment of investments in the invention process. In the pharmaceutical industry, this exclusivity and the resulting lack of competition leads to exorbitant prices. High prices limit access to potentially life-saving medicines and hinder achievement of the “highest attainable standard of health,” which several international instruments recognize as a human right.