Generic Drugs Get a Boost

Just a quick note today in support of the ruling by the Indian courts to support generic drugs.

(More here.)

Now, before you jump on the pharmaceutical companies’ bandwagon and start saying that it will devastate new drug development, make sure to take a look at what the ruling has really stated.

The courts didn’t uphold the patent claim because they felt the so called “new drug” had no significant differences from the old version.  Therefore, the patent had expired and the generics could be produced, saving developing countries huge amounts of cash.  As well as saving lives of course, but which media outlet out there is mentioning that aspect of the issue?

Countries like India and Brazil are telling these large pharmaceuticals to go fuck themselves that they can’t rape their patients through their wallets any more and it’s about time somebody did!  I find it extremely hard to believe that these companies aren’t making huge profits with the popular drugs that they have developed over the 20 year life of the patent.  (The invisible elephant in the room that is public funds also raises questions – how are the drugs developed with even a modicum of public funds made cheaper for the public that paid for them?)

As the Times article stated: “Gleevec, for example, can cost as much as $70,000 a year, while Indian generic versions cost about $2,500 a year.” How the F&#% is that kind of a gap even possible?

If the drug companies want to maintain this kind of extortion, there needs to be a massive “opening of the books.”  Prove to the public that the funds from existing drug profits are primarily being used in new drug development like they love to say.  What percentage of the profits goes to “encouraging” HMO’s to use their drugs rather than some other company’s?  And moreover, prove that they are in the business to save lives, not just fucking get richer.  It is medicine that they are producing, after all.