Science
The patent cliff and the price of access
By Aria Chawla | April 16The pharmaceutical industry’s looming ‘patent cliff’ is often framed as a Wall Street problem: Blockbuster drugs lose intellectual property protection, making room for generics to enter and causing company revenues to fall. But for patients, including college students who rely on family insurance, use prescription drugs themselves or are preparing to enter healthcare and biotech careers, the patent cliff is really a test of whether the healthcare system can turn the end of monopoly protection into lower costs and better access.
