An unconventional approach to encourage AIDs research?
Anyone who knows me will no doubt know my skepticism towards any extension and/or expansions of “intellectual property rights”. Roger Bate’s article to the American Enterprise Institute however provides an unconventional and interesting suggestion that quite could quite possibly allow for a positive purpose for patent extensions.
Here’s how patent extensions would work: If a company were to develop a new HIV drug, it would give up the patent voluntarily in the developing world, or perhaps worldwide. As a quid pro quo, the government would grant it an extension on the patent of any drug of its choice in the U.S. for a set period of time.
For instance, Pfizer could choose to lengthen its patent on Viagra. A two-year patent extension on a blockbuster drug like this could earn Pfizer enough to make it profitable to spend scarce R&D time on developing a new HIV medication.
Any good ideas to encourage research into cure and treatment for AIDs would be great. Let us remember that AIDs is not just a health problem, it is also a social problem. It afflicts those who are the most vulnerable in society, the poor, women, homosexuals (sometimes, if they are disenfranchised).
