All Clarivate Analytics websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

More information on our cookie policy.

BioWorld. Link to homepage.

/images/Cortellis_Flagship_Logo_TM_RGB_Color.png
  • BioWorld
  • BioWorld MedTech
  • BioWorld Asia
  • BioWorld Science
  • Data Snapshots
    • BioWorld
    • BioWorld MedTech
  • Special reports
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Coronavirus
    • Diagnosing and tracking COVID-19
    • Drugs to Watch 2020
    • The next pandemic
    • Premium reports
      • BioWorld Financings Reports
      • Disease Forecast Reports

BioWorld. Link to homepage.

  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Subscribe
BioWorld - Saturday, February 27, 2021
Home » Blogs » BioWorld Perspectives » The Biotech Toddler Argument: “Chilling Effect on Innovation” Overplayed?

BioWorld Perspectives
BioWorld Perspectives RSS FeedRSS

BioWorld / Oncology

The Biotech Toddler Argument: “Chilling Effect on Innovation” Overplayed?

Nov. 18, 2011
By Trista Morrison
No Comments

In last week’s issue of BioWorld Insight, our esteemed Washington editor Mari Serebrov wrote an article titled, “Shorter Exclusivity Could Carry a Hefty Price Tag.” In it, she quoted sources who are very concerned that reducing the current 12-year exclusivity for innovator biologics to seven years, as the president and a number of lawmakers have proposed, would be bad news for patients, payers and drug makers.

In the article, Mary Webster, a patent attorney with Nixon Peabody, said: "If you can't corner your market and recoup your costs, are you going to do it?"

And suddenly I had a flashback to negotiating with my three-year-old:

Me: “No you can’t have a cookie for dinner.”

Toddler: [crossing arms and stamping foot] “Fine, then I’m not going to eat anything for dinner.”

This scene has replayed itself in my head several times recently as I’ve written about biotech news – i.e. when gene patents are questioned, or reimbursement policies are debated, or drug importation gains traction, or the FDA shifts its stance on something. Each time, the industry’s response is to threaten that these moves will result in a “chilling effect on innovation” (translation: mess with us and we’ll stop making drugs).

Don’t get me wrong, I think the biotechnology industry deserves every advantage. But if biologics end up with seven years of exclusivity, do we really think companies will stop making them? Really? When biologics account for many of the top-selling drugs, each raking in multi-billions of dollars annually?

I worry that biopharma firms aren’t winning any points in the court of public opinion by stamping their feet and threatening to stop innovating every time something they don’t like gets put on the table. This approach certainly hasn’t worked for my toddler: When he threatens that he’s not going to eat dinner, I say, “fine, don’t eat” – and within minutes he’s seated at the table, munching away on his veggies.

You know what did work, though? When he said, “What if I eat a good dinner? Then can I have a cookie?” Negotiation is a fact of life – everybody has to give and take. My three-year old figured it out. Maybe it’s time for the industry to follow suit.

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Popular Stories

  • Free access to BioWorld coronavirus articles

    BioWorld

    The articles in this collection are from BioWorld’s ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Note that we have added three critical tables which are...

  • Seniors with wooden puzzle

    Cassava’s simufilam improves AD patients’ cognition, behavior

    BioWorld
    When Cassava Sciences Inc.’s president and CEO, Remi Barbier, opened up the interim analysis of the company’s open-label study for Alzheimer’s disease candidate...
  • Vaxart COVID-19 vaccine tablets

    Vaxart shares shaken despite apparently positive early data for oral COVID-19 vaccine

    BioWorld
    Vaxart Inc. investors who stuck by company shares Feb. 3 had to swallow a bitter pill – watching shares of the oral vaccine developer (NASDAQ:VXRT) fall 57.8% to...
  • IPO money

    Lucira Health launches $153M IPO

    BioWorld MedTech
    Infectious diseases diagnostics company Lucira Health Inc. launched an IPO of 9 million shares of common stock at $17 per share, for expected gross proceeds of...
  • Today's news in brief

    BioWorld
    BioWorld briefs for Feb. 26.
cortellis ad

BioWorld Premium

Enjoy extended coverage for the most complete market view with BioWorld, BioWorld MedTech, and BioWorld Asia in a single, easy to access subscription.

Subscribe
  • BioWorld
    • Today's news
    • Analysis and data insight
    • Clinical
    • Data Snapshots
    • Deals and M&A
    • Financings
    • Newco news
    • Opinion
    • Regulatory
    • Science
  • BioWorld MedTech
    • Today's news
    • Clinical
    • Data Snapshots
    • Deals and M&A
    • Financings
    • Newco news
    • Opinion
    • Regulatory
    • Science
  • BioWorld Asia
    • Today's news
    • Analysis and data insight
    • Australia
    • China
    • Clinical
    • Deals and M&A
    • Financings
    • Newco news
    • Regulatory
    • Science
  • BioWorld Science
    • About
    • Archives
    • Today's news
    • Search BioWorld Science
  • More
    • About
    • Archives
    • Article reprints and permissions
    • Contact us
    • Cookie policy
    • Copyright notice
    • Data methodology
    • Privacy policy
    • Share your news with BioWorld
    • Staff
    • Terms of use
A Clarivate Analytic solution. Link to Clarivate website.
Follow Us

Copyright ©2021. All Rights Reserved. Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing