Imagine there’s a new drug on the market to treat obesity. Problem is, tests have shown that it causes kidney failure in 7 percent of patients. The company marketing the drug ran tests that showed the kidney failure risk, but didn’t make the risk public. Now imagine there’s a law that would force the drug company to tell the public about every test it conducted on the drug.
If certain policymakers and interest groups get their way, such a law could soon become a reality. While this law would be a boon for doctors and patients alike, pharmaceutical companies need to keep a watchful eye on how this could affect their patent rights.
