The Wall Street Journal reports the story today.
Against Monopoly
defending the right to innovate
Monopoly corrupts. Absolute monopoly corrupts absolutely.
Copyright Notice: We don't think much of copyright, so you can do what you want with the content on this blog. Of course we are hungry for publicity, so we would be pleased if you avoided plagiarism and gave us credit for what we have written. We encourage you not to impose copyright restrictions on your "derivative" works, but we won't try to stop you. For the legally or statist minded, you can consider yourself subject to a Creative Commons Attribution License.
A Lone Scientist Conducts R&D and Innovates Where Drug Companies Fear to Tread
In the 1960s Donald G. Stein wondered why female but not male rats recovered from brain injuries. His key finding, that the female hormone progesterone could heal brain injuries, challenged the scientific establishment and its group think mentality. Pharmaceutical companies couldn't be bothered to conduct R&D without the prospect of a patent, so they weren't interested. He got no government grant until 1999, which didn't kick in until 2001. Even the NIH ignored him at least until recently, although this might have been a good thing. A 1,000-patient study is in the works.
[Posted at 09/26/2007 07:01 PM by William Stepp on Innovation 
comments(2)]
Comments
I don't think this an example of patent blocking innovation. While progesterone cannot be patented, its use in brain damage recovery can definitely patented.
[Comment at 09/30/2007 02:25 AM by LuTze]
This example shows how a researcher who doesn't have the deep pockets of a pharmaceutical company can forge ahead and conduct promising R&D. So far he hasn't patented anything, I don't think, and hopefully he won't.
[Comment at 10/02/2007 05:59 PM by Bill Stepp]
Submit Comment
Most Recent Comments
IP is not a joke Bill:
Absolutely. Parody and satire are protected under fair use. Mad Magazine (among many
at 02/09/2010 05:41 AM by Anonymous
IP is not a joke Couldn't it be used under the fair use
at 02/08/2010 03:22 PM by Bill Stepp
Goldman does in AIG, you, and me Predatory Lending is a major contributor to the economic turmoil we are currently
at 02/08/2010 03:07 PM by jmb27
Common Sense Seth - I'm not sure how your comment @ 5:57pm casts any illumination on your earlier position. If I
at 02/08/2010 02:03 PM by Justin Levine
Lessig: Congress is broken and Obama has failed Anon, state granted monopolies are effectively licenses for corporations to collect taxes on
at 02/08/2010 01:50 PM by Crosbie Fitch
Lessig: Congress is broken and Obama has failed It does seem strange to me that when we are faced with the possibility of a 23 trillion dollar
at 02/08/2010 01:18 PM by Anonymous
The Patent, Copyright, Trademark, and Trade Secret Horror Files Fred, I recognise that 'natural monopoly' may have a more specialised meaning for economists, and
at 02/08/2010 07:19 AM by Crosbie Fitch
Lessig: Congress is broken and Obama has failed Fred, I'm doing something immediately. I'm working on the Contingency Market. this is something
at 02/08/2010 06:53 AM by Crosbie Fitch
The Patent, Copyright, Trademark, and Trade Secret Horror Files @Crosbie: I agree *natural monopolies* do exist, despite any tendency for SK and Bill Stepp to shut
at 02/07/2010 10:21 PM by Fred McTaker
Lessig: Congress is broken and Obama has failed I thank John Bennett for this post, and for the quality of his posts here in general. I've been
at 02/07/2010 09:02 PM by Fred McTaker