Intellectual property rights and pharmaceuticals: The case of antibiotics
Economic Research Working Paper No. 26
Author: Bhaven N. Sampat
Publication year: 2015
DOI: English
The development and diffusion of antibiotics contributed to large improvements in human health and living standards. The antibiotic revolution also spawned the modern pharmaceutical industry. This paper reviews the development of the early antibiotics, and the roles of intellectual property rights (in particular, patents) in their development and diffusion.