Quote:
|
Of course, there are all of those thorny moral issues in there to cloud the argument as well.
|
Wayne, perhaps a re-read of
Atlas Shrugged is in order.
There is absolutely nothing "moral" about other countries stealing our technology. If the patent holders wish to give free licenses away, that's their prerogative, but it has to be their choice. Jonas Salk said it best, "Could you patent the Sun?"
Once you start conscripting the R&D efforts of pharma and biotech companies to suit your moral judgments, the rate of innovation dries up pretty quickly. The same applies to the imposition of price controls either directly in the U.S., or indirectly by allowing reimportation from abroad.
The AIDS crisis is arguably the single biggest factor affecting political stability in Africa. Why doesn't our beloved United Nations purchase all the rights to the "triple therapy" drugs for several hundred billion dollars and distribute the pills for free?
Why is the US pharmaceutical consumer expected to subsidize the development of such drugs with higher prices on the other blockbusters? Are you prepared to pay more for your statin, knowing that the manufacturer is pursuing a humanitarian agenda?