Skip to main content

Reply to "A new project for Alan"

I think perhaps you don't understand, since you asked. You presuppose me to be arguing for something I'm not. I'm not arguing for government intervention in fixing prices (although that is exactly what they are presently doing). I'm arguing for a free market.

You asked for an example, Here's one, although I'm sure there are many more.

Eli Lilly developed (in 1982) and markets a synthetic human insulin my daughter needs to live, which cost about $24/vial in 1997 (when she was diagnosed). It costs my (now adult) daughter over $300/ month to buy out of pocket, 20+ years later (long after the cost of development has been amortized). This begs the question-- who's interests are being served by offering Eli Lilly 35+ years of patent protection (locking every other competitor out of the market) on a drug they developed and marketed for less than 10% of the current selling price? The government is involved all right-- to the extent of protecting Eli Lilly, rather than the citizens they are tasked with protecting.

This is one example of thousands. Drug patents run into the decades. I'm a fan of intellectual property, but how many years is fair? J&J, Roche, Phizer, Baer, E. Lilly, et al are multi-billion dollar companies, precisely because they own the FDA.

When I buy drugs that aren't FDA approved, and am happy with the results, for 5% of the cost of the protected drug, who is stealing from whom?

Last edited by Stan Galat
×
×
×
×
×