Posts Tagged: "Hudson Institute"

The debate around whether patents are unnecessarily propping up drug prices has been simmering for years. A recent policy memo from the Hudson Institute has thoughtfully raised concerns about the data underlying this debate, and the memo made its way up to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. While the memo may have successfully poked holes in some of the data, it draws questionable conclusions regarding what those holes might mean. Unpacking this debate is therefore necessary to guide the correct policy on the intersection of patents and drug prices.

On August 10, The Hudson Institute hosted an online video webinar featuring Matt Ridley, member of the UK’s House of Lords and author of the recent book How Innovation Works (And Why It Flourishes in Freedom). The book explores a series of case studies about innovation across history in order to upend some conventional wisdom and make the argument that major innovations typically arise as a result of a series of contributions from sometimes unconnected individuals rather than top-down legislative frameworks or what Ridley calls “the myth of the heroic single inventor.” Moderating the conversation was Adam Mossoff, Professor of Law at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School and Chair of the Forum for Intellectual Property at the Hudson Institute. The conversation was highlighted by an intriguing and well-reasoned critique of Ridley’s book by Mossoff, who challenged some of the book’s statements on intellectual property and patents in particular.

On the morning of Thursday, July 19th, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing titled China’s Threat to American Government and Private Sector Research and Innovation Leadership. The day’s hearing was dedicated to discuss strategies, both legal and illicit, which are employed by the Chinese government and designed to gain a competitive advantage over the United States.

A consistent charge against the patent system is that it denies the poor access to critical medicines. This belief led the UN Secretary General to launch his High Level Panel on Access to Medicines that is supported by groups like Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)… As to UN Secretary General’s claim of a “policy incoherence” between IP rights and access to medicines, without the patent system there will be a lot fewer drugs to access here or abroad. That’s a thought he might ponder.