Business

Sophia is an undergraduate intern at her Senator's office in Washington, DC. She loves her job, as itallows her to see the process of lawmaking up-close and in person. Her Senator has asked her toprepare him for an upcoming meeting with lobbyists representing the pharmaceutical industry, whowould like to see legislation extending the term of drug patents beyond twenty years. Sophia'sresearch reveals that the twenty-year exclusivity period given to companies while a drug is patentedis hugely valuable, allowing the companies to reap billions of dollars in profit. Even as a patent nearsexpiration, federal law makes it easy for drug companies to obtain a five-year extension on a patentsimply by making a few minor tweaks such as changing the delivery mechanism of a drug (faster orslower dissolving), or by combining two drugs together. After a drug loses patent protection, itbecomes much easier for generic manufacturers to copy the drug, which causes the price of the drugto plummet, making it much more affordable for people to buyasOn the other hand, she learns that bringing a new drug to market takes roughly 14 years, at a cost of$1.3 billion. For every drug that makes it to market, more than 50 other research programs will fail.Even if the FDA approves a drug, only two out of 10 approved drugs will be profitable. Since 2006,brand drugs have lost an estimated $60 billion in sales due to patent expirations. By 2015, thisnumber is expected to climb to $160 billion.encygalHow should Sophia advise her senator? Why?