logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2020
12m 36s

Why are drug prices so high? Investigati...

TED
About this episode

Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to existing ones, which allows them to build monopolies, block competition and drive prices up. Health justice lawyer Priti Krishtel sheds light on how we've lost sight of the patent system's original intent -- and offers five reforms for a redesign that would serve the public and save lives.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge | Sara Beery
<p>Scientists estimate that 80 percent of life on Earth is still unknown to humanity. But as global temperatures rise, habitats shrink and food and water sources dry up, we're losing these species faster than we can discover them. AI naturalist Sara Beery reveals how the knowledg ... Show More
14m 21s
Nov 24
How the fridge changed food | Nicola Twilley
<p>What if your kitchen fridge is just the tip of an iceberg that's reshaping the world? Food storyteller Nicola Twilley reveals how the massive “artificial Arctic” we built to keep our food fresh is simultaneously melting the real one. She shows why we're at a critical moment to ... Show More
13m 27s
Nov 23
Sunday Pick: How to love your hometown (w/ Hanif Abdurraqib & Sarah Kay) | How to Be a Better Human
<p>Loving where you live means caring for the people who make that place home, says cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. He invites poet Sarah Kay and Chris Duffy, host of the podcast “How to Be a Better Human,” to his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to show off what makes it so special ... Show More
15m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
Why are drug prices so high? Investigating the outdated US patent system | Priti Krishtel
<p>Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to ... Show More
12m 48s
Jul 2022
Why are drug prices so high? Investigating the outdated US patent system | Priti Krishtel
<p>Between 2006 and 2016, the number of drug patents granted in the United States doubled -- but not because there was an explosion in invention or innovation. Drug companies have learned how to game the system, accumulating patents not for new medicines but for small changes to ... Show More
15m 33s
Sep 2023
Why One Drug Company Held Back a Better Drug
<p>For decades, drugmakers have argued that patents are critical to bringing new drugs to the market. But in 2004, when a promising H.I.V. treatment emerged, Gilead Sciences decided to slow-walk its release to maximize profit on the company’s existing patents.</p><p>Rebecca Robbi ... Show More
35m 38s
Jul 2023
Sawbones: Patents vs. Life-Saving Drugs
<p>John Green recently made a video asking Johnson & Johnson not to extend their patent on a tuberculosis drug, which would keep it exclusive and expensive. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about how drug patents work, the recent (good) update about bedaquiline specifically, and the ne ... Show More
38m 46s
Jan 2020
The pharmacists fighting high drug prices
If you had a rare disease and the only drug that could help you suddenly shot up in price how would you feel? What if your health service or insurer decided it was too expensive and they wouldn’t fund it any more? This is the problem facing some patients in the Netherlands.In ord ... Show More
23m 40s
Apr 2021
456. How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare
<p>Medicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and gigantic bills), but less good at actual health. Most reformers call for big, bold action. What happens if, instead, you think small? </p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi ... Show More
49m 50s
Nov 2020
You shouldn't have to choose between filling your prescriptions and paying bills | Kiah Williams
<p>As prescription drug costs skyrocket in the US, thousands of people are forced to forgo lifesaving medications -- all while manufacturers and health care facilities systematically destroy perfectly good, surplus pills. Kiah Williams shares how SIRUM -- a nonprofit that deliver ... Show More
8m 21s
Nov 2017
Encore: Counterfeit Drug Industry: The Role of Complex Supply Chains
The buzz: “Although counterfeit drug production was originally concerned with lifestyle medications treating non-life threatening conditions, the industry has expanded to produce nearly every type of medicine” (cnbc.com/id/44759526). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates ... Show More
56m 26s