Taming the BIG PHARMA MONSTER by Speaking Truth to Power - Patented Molecules

For @Thomaslewis - The patent clock is running the show!

Thomas Lewis, who calls himself a useless liberal, made this excellent suggestion on the previous post:

“Patented Molecules” Is what I would lead with.

So, I’ve selected a piece from page 72, here:

The patent clock is running the show

The motivation for the charge Lord Tennyson described was the dreadful imperative of war. What is it now for Big Pharma?

It is the crack of the starting pistol once the patent clock has been set. Somewhere during the ‘Find It’ stage (drug discovery), the company registers the molecule with the patent office. This sets a definite date for expiration of the patent-protection umbrella.

The patent clock is now ticking.

Every day spent on selecting a development candidate to head for the valley, and every day spent on the ‘File It’ stage, (drug and FDA approval) is a day lost to sales in the market in the minds of all involved — assuming, of course, that it gets to market.

Given the statistic above, there is only a one in 250 chance of the molecule getting to…