Of course, critics retort that there would be no innovation without patent protection, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The data, however, suggests the opposite. In their 2008 book, Against Intellectual Monopoly, Michele Boldrin and David Levine found pharmaceutical innovations fell in countries once a patent system was adopted. In Italy, they found pharmaceutical innovations dropped from 9.28 percent of the global total to 7.5 percent once patents were introduced. They found, “India has taken over as the primary center of pharmaceutical production without patent protection. The growth and vitality of the Indian industry is similar to that of the pre-1978 industry in Italy.” Coincidentally, insulin is one of the many drugs they found was discovered with little to no influence of the patent system.

Once again, the state is the culprit in this situation.

econ

> Of course, critics retort that there would be no innovation without patent protection, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The data, however, suggests the opposite. In their 2008 book, Against Intellectual Monopoly, Michele Boldrin and David Levine found pharmaceutical innovations fell in countries once a patent system was adopted. In Italy, they found pharmaceutical innovations dropped from 9.28 percent of the global total to 7.5 percent once patents were introduced. They found, “India has taken over as the primary center of pharmaceutical production without patent protection. The growth and vitality of the Indian industry is similar to that of the pre-1978 industry in Italy.” Coincidentally, insulin is one of the many drugs they found was discovered with little to no influence of the patent system.

Once again, the state is the culprit in this situation.