The Legal Ecology of Resistance:
The Role of Antibiotic Resistance in
Pharmaceutical Innovation
Kevin Outterson
Forthcoming Cardozo Law Review.
Boston University School of Law Working Paper 09-48 (October 21, 2009)
Abstract
Antibiotic effectiveness is a common pool resource that can be prematurely depleted through resistance. Some experts warn that we may face a global ecological collapse in antibiotic effectiveness.
Conventional wisdom argues for more intellectual property rights to speed the creation of new antibiotics. Recent theoretical literature suggests that conservation-based approaches may yield superior results. This Article describes a novel typology for organizing these emerging theories, and provides an early empirical test of these models, using proprietary data on the sales of vancomycin, an important hospital antibiotic for the last three decades.
The results challenge the assumptions in several models, and will force a reevaluation of the role of intellectual property rights in antibiotic resistance and conservation. In particular, insurance reimbursement may be a more effective policy lever than patent law to preserve antibiotic effectiveness.
Keywords: antibiotic, antimicrobial, resistance, pharmaceutical, innovation, intellectual property, patent, reimbursement, MRSA, public health
JEL Classifications: H41, H51, I18, K11, K19, K32, K33
SSRN Accepted Paper Series
Size: 123 MB
Est. download time @ 28.8K: 45 seconds
Adobe Acrobat Reader v3.01 or greater is required to view this paper.
To obtain a free copy, click the button below
Suggested Citation:
Kevin Outterson, "The Legal Ecology of Resistance: The Role of Antibiotic Resistance in Pharmaceutical Innovation," Cardozo Law Review, forthcoming.
Kevin Outterson Contact Information
Boston University School of Law
765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Email address: mko@bu.edu
Office Phone: (617) 353-3135