BG12 gets patent protection until 2028

"Biogen-Idec have been given patent protection for BG12 until 2028. Patents are the bread and butter of the pharma industry; they allow Pharma to make money and re-invest in new drugs. Without patents innovation would grind to a halt. The other side of the coin is the fact that they expire and once they expire society gets cheaper drugs. You may love or hate this system depending on which side of the fence you sit; but at the moment it is the only show in town."



Reuters: Biogen receives patent until 2028 for Multiple Sclerosis drug Tecfidera

Boston.com: US Patent Office grants Biogen Idec broad protection for multiple sclerosis pill


"The problem we have is developing MS drugs outside the patent system. How do we repuprose off-patent drugs? How do we get the necessary resources in place to do the clinical trials and get off-patent drugs licensed for MSers? This is a big problem for MS and other disease areas. This is why we have tentatively launched the Big Pharma Alternative or BPA; I need to spend time on this that I don't have at present. Anyone out there who would like to help with this? Thanks."

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