Comments for Can We Talk About Drug Patents Please? at http://www.cepr.net , comment 1 to 5 out of 5 comments http://www.cepr.net Sat, 25 May 2013 14:27:20 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-talk-about-drug-patents-please#comment-11602 Jeff, this is 100 percent a patent issue just like a black market in communism would be an issue about the effects of state planing. Participating in the black market was a violation of the law under communism as well. And, there are many alternatives to patent monopolies for supporting research. We already spend $30 billion a year financing research through the NIH. Here's my scheme http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149 - Dean Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:42:04 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-talk-about-drug-patents-please#comment-11599 There are posters on this board who should keep their day job and be very glad they are not paid what they're worth should the socialist patent floor on which their jobs depend suddenly collapse upon the release of free market competition and lower prices. - izzatzo Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:31:41 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-talk-about-drug-patents-please#comment-11597 While the current status on patent law can rightfully be debated, none of the above points really contribute meaningfully to the point that the author seems to be trying to make. 1. on kickbacks - These are ILLEGAL! That's why there was litigation - The author seems to be claiming the following: a - kickbacks occur, b - kickbacks are caused by patent law, c - therefore, patents should be abolished. This is ridiculous. The problem is illegal and unethical behavior, not kickbacks. Kickbacks occur in virtually all industries, not just pharmaceuticals. 2. on failure to punish physicians - Again, this has nothing to do with patents. The physicians rightfully should face some discipline but the mere presence of this happening is not a good argument that patents shouldn't exist. 3. on pricing - There seems to be a relative misunderstanding of what contributes to the high cost of prescription drugs. Yes, kickbacks theoretically could contribute to it but the high cost is due much more to recouping research & investment costs, advertising costs, third party payer thresholds, etc. The assertion that the sole driver of the delta between the "free market" price of a generic and a medication under patent is kickbacks is absurd. Removing patents will cause innovation to move to zero. If you want to remove patents that is fine, but be aware that the improvements in health seen from medications will stagnate and, in the long term, we will miss the opportunity for future life saving medications. No drug patent has an endless timeframe. - Jeff Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:12:06 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-talk-about-drug-patents-please#comment-11591 Not only did the WaPo give huge ink to the drug kickback scandal (which also should have mentioned that the whole thing is largely funded by Medicare and Medicaid), but Steve Pearlstein also had an insightful column on the phony economic policies of the GOP. Finally, Warren Brown did a great job explaining the latest developments in automotive tech from the Frankfurt auto show. Did the Business Section get a new Sunday editor, or what? - Paul Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:43:18 +0100 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-talk-about-drug-patents-please#comment-11589 It's no questions that medication in this country is significantly expenseive/overpriced. Got 25 pills for elbow joint pain and cost $21 with insurance. Without, the bill would have been $96! The pills have been around for years too but just still within the patent period. - James Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:11:22 +0100