Look up Herceptinon the Internet and find out how it works against breast cancer. Determine when the patent on this drug will expire. Once the patent expires, other companies can make a generic form of this drug without having to do the expensive clinical trials required for the original drug. The cost savings may mean the drug would be available to Third World countries and the people who could not originally aff ord the drug. Companies who do the original research and testing want to extend the life of drug patents because they say they cannot make enough money to justify developing new drugs. What type of information do you need to know to decide if this is fair or not? Take the side of the company who holds the patent or the company that is going to produce the generic form, and write
a paragraph arguing your case, including future potential benefi ts to patients.
What will be an ideal response?
Trastuzumab (more commonly known under the trade name Herceptin) is
an antibody that specifi cally binds to the HER2/new receptor on breast cancer
cells. As a result of this binding, the body’s immune system destroys the cell.
It may prevent the cell from dividing. This drug may use other undiscovered
mechanisms. The biotech company Genentech gained FDA approval for
Trastuzumab in September 1998. Interestingly, this drug has become
mired in a sea of litigation and several companies have sued Genentech
claiming they had previous patents covering the technology. As a result, it
is diffi cult to tell from the literature when the patent will end. However, unless
companies have an economic incentive to develop expensive technologies
to treat disease, whether for a large population segment or as a niche drug
like Herceptin, companies will not take the risk; therefore, this incentive is
important. You may want to explore the Orphan Drug Act as part of this
question. It was passed with this idea in mind since it extends and provides
patent protection for companies developing treatments that will help a
small population segment.
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El miembro horizontal inferior del marco de una puerta se denomina _____.
a. umbral b. lateral de puerta c. base d. riel
Explain why animal welfare activists oppose using animals in research
What will be an ideal response?
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
A box end wrench will:
a. be used for removing screws b. reduce the chance of wrench slippage c. increase the torque applied to the fastener d. always have 12 points