Will Extending Patent Life Increase Drug Innovation? A Search for Answers

Abstract

Research Article Health AffairsVol. 1, No. 2 Will Extending Patent Life Increase Drug Innovation? A Search for AnswersPUBLISHED:Spring 1982No Accesshttps://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.1.2.5AboutSectionsView PDFPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions AbstractPrologues:At any given time in American society, overriding trends play an influential role in government decision making and in private sector behavior. Clearly, one of the major trends that led to the election of Ronald Reagan was society's belief that American government had grown too large and too expensive. Reagan ran on a platform which strongly advocated cutting taxes, curbing regulatory excesses, and fostering private initiative. Sixteen months into his presidency, Reagan's administration is pursuing policies to implement this platform. In many instances, the administration is taking the lead. In others, the executive branch is supporting such policies recommended by private interests. One such example of the latter course is the administration 's support of legislation, aggressively pursued by the pharmaceutical industry, that would restore the effective patent life of a new pharmaceutical product. In a late March announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Richard S. Schweiker said the legislation will “correct an unintended inequity in patent law and will help encourage innovative research and development of inventions that ultimately benefit public health and safety.” Peter Barton Hutt makes the case for the pharmaceutical industry in the first of four articles that articulate different viewpoints on the issue. Hutt, now a private lawyer, formerly served as general counsel of the Food and Drug Administration. Congressman Albert Gore, Jr., who takes strong exception to the legislation sought by the drug industry, has used the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight he chairs to probe a wide range of issues. Alfred B. Engelberg, a highly respected patent attorney, is counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical Industry Association, which opposes the legislation. Thomas D. Kiley is general counsel of Genentech Corp.TOPICSPatentsPharmaceuticalsLegislationPharmaceutical industry Loading Comments... Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. DetailsExhibitsReferencesRelated Article Metrics History Published online 1 January 1982 InformationCopyright © by Project HOPE: The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.PDF download