Friday, March 19, 2010
A Company Races to Keep a Drug Patent
Interesting article, especially because we talked about drug patents on Wednesday. The case illustrates the lengths to which drug companies will go to preserve the precious patents that separate name-brand moneymakers from generic also-rans.
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Angiomax is supposedly cheaper for the healthcare system despites its $600 per person cost as of now and this is because similar anticoagulant drugs like heparin can cause excessive bleeding. The company also argues that a longer drug patent would allow research of angiomax to continue and thus angiomax could be approved for treatment of related illnesses such as strokes. If angiomax has the potential to treat other illnesses this is most likely the biggest reason to extend a patent despite a lot of opposition. It also seems that generics for similar disorders have serious side effects, which is all the more reason to fund research by this company to improve the quality of treatment for people who need anticoagulants.
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