Public Health

 Some good news in the world of patents, Canada and India have approved generic versions of the diabetic medicine Ozempic.

BBC news article Why Canadians get cheaper Ozempic and Americans can't

The reason is simply that the owners of Ozempic did not file for patent extension in Canada so this summer comptetitors have started to enter the market which has forced Ozempic to lower its prices to compete. 

Sadly this is not the case in the United States, the United Kingdom, nor the European Union and many other nations. So far the benefits are confined to Canada and India. That's still good news of course, its just frustrating that billions will have to wait years to also benefit, while a for profit company can still increase prices for patients and health care providers.

Though there may be some spill over to other nations. The BBC article speculates that US citizens may import or travel to Canada to purchase cheaper medicine and since there we live in a global marketplace Canadian and Indian generics will be available in some form.

I have a personal interest as my father was perscribed Ozempic to treat his diabeties and it was by far the best medication he'd tried for it. Unfortunately the discovery that it can have encourage weight loss and the broadcasting of this news by influencers created an unprecedented surge in demand which very quickly led to shortages.

This was compounded by two factors, while here Ozempic was prescription only, that's not the case everywhere and thanks to the unique health system of the United States medicines can sell for a far higher price over there which quickly led to scarcity for diabetics outside the US. 

This caused a lot of pain around the world, price hikes a scramble for alternatives, people taken Ozempic without doctors supervision and developing side effects, people buying fake Ozempics and suffering poisoning, etc. Etc.

Its similar to whats happened to computer RAM, a monopolisation on production coupled with AI driven mass purchasing of current and future production crippled everyone else. When medicines are a commodity for a profit and the companies that produce those commodities are bought up, merged and taken over etc. Its not long before we see patients compelled to extreme prices. Make no mistake this is exploitation of the vulnerable.

Given how popular Ozempic is I hope this news and the obvious disparity will spur the campaigns for patent reform.

A Sense of Propriety

 

At my work, we had our annual storage clear out. Xmas came early this year! I came away with two HDMI cables, an Ethernet Cable, and an Aliens mug. One lucky son of a gun walked a way with a fishing rod. Unfortunately, most of the material had to be scrapped. Not for lack of interest though, much of would've been very useful except that they were proprietary hardware. Most of the spare equipment, docking stations, connectors etc, can't be used because they all come with proprietary connectors. Companies do this so you have to buy add-ons or replacements from their suppliers. It's like selling a car that can only run on a fuel that's controlled by the manufacturers. Or like how Tesla will only allow repairs and retrievals from approved mechanics and tow trucks. 

So, the situations a bit annoying, it's bad for our pockets as we have to buy new, bad for the environment as it blocks recycling, and bad for the company who now have to pay to have some haul that stuff away. But the stuff I got was very useful the mug is no a stationary mug, and all three cables are plugged in. However, that evening when I got back home from work, I had another run in with this system. I have bought an Nvidia Shield TV, and it was waiting for me when I got home. I had an issue setting it up, though. They're produced in the United States of America, the seller promised it was UK compatible but if not I have adapters, I travel somewhat frequently. 

Unfortunately, the power pack supplied didn't have any prongs, it's one of those clip on plugs. That's a problem as that type of adapter is no longer common. The connector looked like a USB-C, so I tried my phone charger, it fitted but no luck.  I was stuck with an expensive box. The only way to get a replacement power pack is to order one from Nvidia, I attempted that, the support chatbot did not understand my requests and told me any power bank would work if the voltage is the same, which isn't true, you need the Nvidia produced version otherwise it won't work. 

Stuck and annoyed, I was going to either attempt to call a human being, something companies have made almost impossible, or try to get it returned. Since I had ripped the original box I would have to get another for a return, I was not a happy customer. Fortunately, I recycle, and while tearing the box into chunks I found the clip on prongs inside the lining of the box. I do not know why it was in there, the manual didn't say it would be in there, it didn't say anything beyond stick the power bank in a plug and connect it in that port. 

So, a happy ending after all, but if they weren't there, or I had just binned the box I would've been screwed, I haven't seen that type of adapter in years and I couldn't find one online. At best, I would've been waiting for an international shipment for a replacement. Nvidia say they will replace pieces for free, but that isn't the issue. The issue is the use of a proprietary power supply when there are dozens of generic versions on the market, even the chatbot admitted any plug would work if the voltage was right, the obstacle was a slightly different connection. Any other option would've been preferable, I have replacements for most other common connections.

My struggles are fairly minor, the worst case is I would have to get a refund, but as Tesla has demonstrated, this move to corporate control of use, repair and reuse is becoming more common and intruding on more aspects of life.

I'm not picking on Tesla, I know someone who had a breakdown last winter, and they were stuck waiting for many hours because it had to be a Tesla approved recovery vehicle. It also cost a lot more since they have a monopoly on service. 

Patently rediculous

 

Several days ago I learnt some excellent news, a university medical research team have revealed a new way to treat bone fractures. It's called Bone-02 but has already gotten the nickname Bone glue due to how it works.

 

A Chinese research team in East China's Zhejiang Province unveiled an innovative product called "Bone 02" bone glue on Wednesday. Inspired by oysters, this glue can treat fractures with a single injection and bond shattered bone fragments in just three minutes, according to local media Zhejiang Online.

Global Times 

I'm impressed, this breakthrough has the potential to be life changing. In 2022, I was involved in a road accident and snapped my ankle, the break was clean, so surgery wasn't necessary, but it meant I spent months moving from crutches to a walking boot, and even today it still plays up. I don't know how Bone-02 would fair in my case, but I'm sure it'll be a marked improvement for many people. 

Much of the ecstatic news was coupled with cheering for Chinese Communism. Which is a bit odd since the People's Republic of China is a well-developed capitalist economy and in this particularly case has already applied for domestic and international patents. 

 Their perseverance paid off, and Bone-02 has now secured applications for Chinese invention patents and international PCT patents, paving the way for global adoption.

Dunapress 

This is literally capitalist economics 101. Odd praise aside this is an important development, I have no doubt that should the work pan out the world of medicine will have a major new tool. The issue here is that we'll have 20 years or more for the world to truly see the benefits of this new technology. Patents aren't quite copyright, but they work in similar ways, they grant the holder exclusive right to exploit the product or invention for a term of 20 years. This makes them highly desirable and lucrative, because it means reproduction and use are limited to the holder and anyone they enter into a licensing agreement with.

Usually at this point in the discussion someone declares that this is fine as it's only right that the creators of such useful inventions are rewarded for their work. The issue with that thinking is that it relies on two assumptions. 1. That the patent holder played a part in the creation, usually it's a corporation with the immediate benefits going to the owner and not anyone whose labours created the thing being patented. 2. It assumes that the creators would be unable to profit from their creations without patents, and odd argument since they last a mere 20 years. You remember Fidget Spinners? The inventor Scott McCorsky obtained a patent in 2018 for what he called the Torqbar, four years after he had already been selling his invention. That is why when the fidget spinner craze took off there were so many different versions. He still made money off his creation without a patent.  He still sells them and you can buy an original here.

The cheapest is $139, which is well out of my price range so as someone who benefits from fidget toys I both appreciate McCorsky awakening interest and his late patenting enabling the birth of many other variations and providers.

But moving on from toys medical patents and property rights and restrictions are serious business and potentially damaging. You go to a chemist to buy some medicine for some ailment and usually you'll have atleast two or three options to choose from, a branded version and a cheaper generic version. I don't how things work in your country but here generics are held to same standards on quality as the branded medications. Unfortunately this is not always the case and the lack of alternatives can be costly. Every morning I have to take a capsule, the capsule are quite clever they're modified release so just one is enough to see me through the day whereas otherwise I would need to take two. That's handy as while prescriptions are capped they still cost, and it saves me having to remember to take another halfway through the day.

I'm quite happy with my medication, the side effects are mild and cleared up quickly, and they've enabled me to function and live my life. Unfortunately, there are no generic alternatives. This is a problem as supply is limited to one producer which keeps the costs high relatively compared to alternatives, which means pharmacies (which are private companies) do not like to stock it, that keeps supplies low and also bottlenecks demand as providers prefer to prescribe the cheaper options with generic alternatives. This has led to occasional shortages, which has forced me to spend several days pulling lists of pharmacies and ringing them one by one to find one that still has some in stock or can order from their supplier. It's anxiety and worry I can do without, but unfortunately the patent was granted in 2021, so I'm stuck in this situation until 2041. 

In addition, the Epipen, remember the horrifying headlines of the price hikes for the device that administers insulin, and treatments for anaphylactic shock?  They could get away with that because the Epipen was patented, I say was because while looking up the patent for this post I discovered that the patent expired in September this year. 

 In January 2025, Mylan reached a $73.5m settlement with KPH Healthcare Services following accusations that it conspired with Pfizer and Teva Pharmaceuticals to delay the release of generic EpiPens, thereby maintaining a monopoly and inflating prices for epinephrine autoinjectors.

The lawsuit contested that prices for a two-pack of EpiPens rose from around $100 in 2008 to $600 during the class period between March 2014 and February 2025.

Pharmaceutical Technology 

While it was still patented, the only recourse was to lobby government to intervene (good luck) or expensive and time-consuming lawsuits if enough grounds for a court hearing could be found. Well, not quite, there was another alternative, in 2016 a group of Anarchists with backgrounds in chemistry and medicine the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective develop a DIY Epipen they called an Epipencil and released the details and list of materials you'd need to build your own. That's right, in order to keep living and not die from a treatable condition some people have to build their own medical devices, and most patients don't even get that option.

Patents give an incredible amount of power to corporate interests. Yes, it is unfair and frustrating when companies like Nintendo use patents to squeeze out competition, but sometimes it's literally life and death!  

In order for humanity to advance and thrive, some shareholders will just have to learn to go without all the money in the world.