To the Editor:
Elimination of patent rights and Intellectual Protection (IP) for vaccines and medications that are given to Pharmaceutical companies and other developers of these essential health products completely destroys the reason to produce them.
The enormous costs of Research and Development (R & D) for vaccines and drugs is only offset by the recoup of expense by “ownership” of the new product for the period patent is granted.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MASS) seeks to eliminate all patent and IP rights of these developers. She believes it will reduce drug costs and be “For the common” good.
President Biden eliminated the patent rights on the Coronavirus Vaccines developed by American companies. It cost multimillions of taxpayer money to develop in extremely quick time.
Why would the companies spend the money and, in many cases, the many years in bringing new medications to market? They could not recoup the huge expense in creating them if they did not own the patents.
The short-sighted concept of allowing anyone to replicate a health product that has patent potential will allow competitors such as Communist China to utilize our technology without cost. Also, if there is no manufacturing oversight the production can (and has) be flawed.
The Chinese had to recall popular blood pressure medication Valstarten because cancer causing additive was mistakenly included.
Leave the patent right alone. It protects Americans and the world.
