Sawbones: Patents vs. Life-Saving Drugs

This cold and flu season, we're bringing you a classic episode on clearing your nasal passage correctly.Blowing your nose is maybe the only small glint of satisfaction had while having a cold or sinus infection. But is blowing your nose actually good, or even safe? Dr. Sydnee and ...  Show more

A trip to get an updated tetanus shot led to the realization that Justin never got a Hepatitis B vaccine. So Dr. Sydnee explains what exactly is Hep B, the recent headlines surrounding the vaccine, why do people usually get this vaccine as babies – and why didn’t Justin get it?Mu ...  Show more

For decades, drugmakers have argued that patents are critical to bringing new drugs to the market. But in 2004, when a promising H.I.V. treatment emerged, Gilead Sciences decided to slow-walk its release to maximize profit on the company’s existing patents.

Rebecca Robbi ...

Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to ...

From the HIV/AIDS crisis, to the opioid epidemic, to the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical corporations have been accused of profiteering at the expense of countless lives. Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now and the author of a new book called <a href="https://www.ve ...

Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to ...