E-DRUG: MSF - Brazil rejects patent on an essential AIDS medicine (12)
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Dear Sir,
Studies have shown that amount of pharmaceutical innovation is positively related to the burden of disease in developed countries but not to the burden of disease in developing countries. Also western pharmaceutical companies have always cited the need to reward innovation as a justification for stronger patent laws, but in reality they are not the altruistic hotbeds of innovation they would like to appear. True, global R&D spending has doubled in less than a decade, yet the investment has not resulted in many novel cures and treatments. Over the last decade, the industry appears to have spent more of its energies and funding on modifying existing products than on creating new medicines. In many ways this makes commercial sense. By slightly altering a chemical compound or varying a drug's delivery system, companies have helped to build a profitable bank of "me-too" medicines that extend the patent life of existing ones. This is less risky and expensive than conducting original research. At the same time, pharmaceutical giants are spending millions on lawsuits to protect the patents they already own. As a result, real innovation has been declining for almost a decade. Economic research has demonstrated that investment in R&D is greatly affected by incentives that are offered for R&D. To increase the rate of development of drugs for diseases primarily afflicting people in developing countries, incentives for developing these drugs must be strengthened. The establishment of purchase commitment funds may be the most efficient way to stimulate the development and production of these drugs. [www.who.int]
Regards,
Dr. Mangesh Bankar,
Lecturer, Dept. of Pharmacology,
Govt. Medical College, Nagpur