Views on patent protection for drugs tend to align with
opinions on the value of innovation. Brand-name pharmaceutical companies and
international trade enthusiasts generally advocate for stronger intellectual
property (IP) laws. Without the profits allowed by patent monopolies, they
argue, pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) would stall, depriving
patients of new medicines and the economy of new capital.
But generic drug companies and advocates for improved access
to affordable medications often take a different view. They tend to argue that
brand-name companies abuse the patent system, continually tweaking old
molecules to extend monopolies so that prices remain high and profits remain
fat.