How do Pharmaceutical Patents Affect Prices and the Death Rate?
Abstract
My research focuses on pharmaceutical patents and their effect on the availability of medicine. Because pharmaceutical patents create a monopoly market on specific medicines, access to consumers will be lower because of higher prices. Once generics come into play after patent expiration, access to these medicines increases significantly due to a competitive market and lower prices. The expectation in my research was because of the price changes, the increase in access to medicine after patent expiration should lower the death rate. I use the death rate of three diseases (HIV, Alzheimer's, and Diabetes) and their pharmaceutical patent history to show correlation between patent expiration and declining death rates.
Session Name:
Issues in Health Economics
Start Date
10-4-2015 1:15 PM
End Date
10-4-2015 2:15 PM
Location
HSB 300
How do Pharmaceutical Patents Affect Prices and the Death Rate?
HSB 300
My research focuses on pharmaceutical patents and their effect on the availability of medicine. Because pharmaceutical patents create a monopoly market on specific medicines, access to consumers will be lower because of higher prices. Once generics come into play after patent expiration, access to these medicines increases significantly due to a competitive market and lower prices. The expectation in my research was because of the price changes, the increase in access to medicine after patent expiration should lower the death rate. I use the death rate of three diseases (HIV, Alzheimer's, and Diabetes) and their pharmaceutical patent history to show correlation between patent expiration and declining death rates.