How to Make the Most of Drugs We Already Have
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[...] Moreover, if a drug company cannot ascertain the problem for which a prescription is written, it lacks the means by which it can enforce its new patent. Therefore, it cannot recoup, through higher prices, expenses for investing in new-use research.
This is a solvable problem, says Benjamin Roin, assistant professor of technological innovation, entrepreneurship and strategic management at M.I.T. He suggested a universal electronic prescribing system that tracks prescriptions and conditions for which they’re intended. This is feasible and exists in Quebec. With such a system in place, a new-use innovator could charge more for the patented new use, and it would be easier to tell when a competitor is breaking the law by selling its product for that use. [...]
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biotechnology health care reform intellectual property pharmaceuticals