Article

Pharmaceutical Investments Before and After TRIPS

Margaret Kyle et Anita M. McGahan

Résumé

The TRIPS Agreement, which specifies minimum levels of intellectual property protection for countries in the World Trade Organization, has increased levels of patent protection around the world. Using variation across countries in the timing of patent laws and the severity of disease, we test the hypothesis that increased patent protection results in greater drug development effort. We find that patent protection in wealthy countries is associated with increases in research and development (R&D) effort. However, the introduction of patents in developing countries has not been followed by greater R&D investment in the diseases that are most prevalent there.

Codes JEL

  • F13: Trade Policy • International Trade Organizations
  • I18: Government Policy • Regulation • Public Health
  • L65: Chemicals • Rubber • Drugs • Biotechnology
  • O32: Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
  • O34: Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

Référence

Margaret Kyle et Anita M. McGahan, « Pharmaceutical Investments Before and After TRIPS », The Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 94, n° 4, novembre 2012, p. 1157–1172.

Publié dans

The Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 94, n° 4, novembre 2012, p. 1157–1172