IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/jitecd/v21y2012i6p865-894.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Parallel imports, drug innovation and international patent protection: A policy game

Author

Listed:
  • Rajat Acharyya
  • María D.C. García-Alonso

Abstract

We consider a policy game between a high-income country hosting a drug innovator and a low-income country hosting a drug imitator. The low-income country chooses whether to enforce an International Patent Regime (strict IPR) or not (weak IPR), and the high-income country chooses whether to allow parallel imports (PI) of on-patent drugs or market-based discrimination (MBD). We show that, for a moderately high imitation cost, both (strict IPR, PI) and (weak IPR, MBD) emerge as the subgame prfect Nash equilibrium (SPNE) policy choices. For relatively smaller imitation costs, (weak IPR, MBD) is the unique SPNE policy choice. The welfare properties reveal that although innovation may be higher at the (strict IPR, PI) policy regime, the market coverage and national welfare of the low-income country, and the total welfare are all lower. This opens up the efficiency issue of implementing TRIPS and at the same time allowing international exhaustion of patent rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajat Acharyya & María D.C. García-Alonso, 2012. "Parallel imports, drug innovation and international patent protection: A policy game," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(6), pages 865-894, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jitecd:v:21:y:2012:i:6:p:865-894
    DOI: 10.1080/09638199.2010.541273
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/09638199.2010.541273
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/09638199.2010.541273?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malueg, David A. & Schwartz, Marius, 1994. "Parallel imports, demand dispersion, and international price discrimination," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3-4), pages 167-195, November.
    2. Acharyya, Rajat, 2005. "Quality discrimination among income constrained consumers," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(2), pages 245-251, February.
    3. Stefan Lutz, 1997. "Vertical product differentiation and entry deterrence," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 65(1), pages 79-102, February.
    4. Eugen Kováč & Krešimir Žigić, 2014. "International Competition in Vertically Differentiated Markets with Innovation and Imitation: Trade Policy Versus Free Trade," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 81(323), pages 491-521, July.
    5. Martin Richardson, 2017. "An Elementary Proposition Concerning Parallel Imports," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Dimensions of Trade Policy, chapter 14, pages 285-299, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Lall, Sanjaya, 2003. "Indicators of the relative importance of IPRs in developing countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1657-1680, October.
    7. Avner Shaked & John Sutton, 1982. "Relaxing Price Competition Through Product Differentiation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 49(1), pages 3-13.
    8. Richard Gilbert & Carl Shapiro, 1990. "Optimal Patent Length and Breadth," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 21(1), pages 106-112, Spring.
    9. Gene M. Grossman & Edwin L.‐C. Lai, 2008. "Parallel imports and price controls," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(2), pages 378-402, June.
    10. Jean Tirole, 1988. "The Theory of Industrial Organization," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262200716, April.
    11. Shabtai Donnenfeld & Shlomo Weber, 1995. "Limit Qualities and Entry Deterrence," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(1), pages 113-130, Spring.
    12. Jaskold Gabszewicz, J. & Thisse, J. -F., 1979. "Price competition, quality and income disparities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 340-359, June.
    13. Acharyya, Rajat & Garcia-Alonso, Maria D.C., 2006. "Self-interested international income redistribution and access to health care innovation," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 322-336, June.
    14. Panle Jia & Pinelopi K. Goldberg & Shubham Chaudhuri, 2006. "Estimating the Effects of Global Patent Protection in Pharmaceuticals: A Case Study of Quinolones in India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1477-1514, December.
    15. Sohn, Soo Jeoung, 2008. "The Two Contrary Effects of Imitation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 75-82, January.
    16. Rajat Acharyya & María D.C. García-Alonso, 2008. "Parallel Imports, Innovations And National Welfare: The Role Of The Sizes Of Income Classes And National Markets For Health Care," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 53(01), pages 57-79.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Li, Hai & Shao, Jing & Zhu, Stuart X., 2020. "Impacts of power dynamics and gray markets on supply chains," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).
    2. Acharyya, Rajat & García-Alonso, María D.C., 2012. "Income based price subsidies and parallel imports," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 25-41.
    3. Pedro Garcia-del-Barrio, 2017. "Pareto-improving income redistribution: expanding consumer access to the vaccines market," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 275-313, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rajat Acharyya & Maria D.C. Garcia-Alonso, 2009. "Weak IPR and Imitation in the South and International Exhaustion of Patent Rights in the North for Innovated Drugs: A Policy Game," Studies in Economics 0919, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    2. Rajat Acharyya & María D. C. García-Alonso, 2014. "Universal Access, Parallel Trade And Incentives To Innovate," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(S1), pages 74-91, December.
    3. Acharyya, Rajat & García-Alonso, María D.C., 2012. "Income based price subsidies and parallel imports," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 25-41.
    4. Yong-Hwan Noh & Giancarlo Moschini, 2006. "Vertical Product Differentiation, Entry-Deterrence Strategies, and Entry Qualities," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 29(3), pages 227-252, November.
    5. Lutz, Stefan, 2003. "International Coordination of Quality Standards and Vertical Product Differentiation," ZEW Discussion Papers 03-41, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Liang Lu, 2015. "Proliferation and Entry Deterrence in Vertically Differentiated Markets," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2015-06, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    7. Fabian Herweg, 2012. "Relaxing competition through quality differentiation and price discrimination," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 1-26, May.
    8. Luca Lambertini & Piero Tedeschi, 2007. "On the Social Desirability of Patents for Sequential Innovations in a Vertically Differentiated Market," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 90(2), pages 193-214, March.
    9. Kamal Saggi, 2013. "Market Power in the Global Economy: The Exhaustion and Protection of Intellectual Property," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 123(567), pages 131-161, March.
    10. Sai Zhao & Lei Fang, 2023. "Debt financing, first‐mover advantage, and vertical product differentiation," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 502-514, January.
    11. Acharyya, Rajat & Garcia-Alonso, Maria D.C., 2006. "Self-interested international income redistribution and access to health care innovation," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 322-336, June.
    12. Maria Rosa Battaggion & Serena Marianna Drufuca, 2020. "Quality competition and entry: a media market case," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 1-36, June.
    13. Montez, João & Marxen, Annabelle, 2020. "Licensing at the patent cliff and market entry," CEPR Discussion Papers 14276, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Onur A. Koska, 2020. "Sourcing product quality for foreign market entry," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 156(3), pages 669-702, August.
    15. Auriol, Emmanuelle & Biancini, Sara & Paillacar, Rodrigo, 2015. "Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Trade," CEPR Discussion Papers 10602, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Kamal Saggi, 2016. "Trade, Intellectual Property Rights, and the World Trade Organization," Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers 16-00014, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics.
    17. Herweg, Fabian, 2007. "Can price discrimination lead to product differentiation? A vertical differentiation model," Bonn Econ Discussion Papers 2/2007, University of Bonn, Bonn Graduate School of Economics (BGSE).
    18. Bos, Iwan & Marini, Marco A., 2019. "Cartel stability under quality differentiation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 70-73.
    19. Corchón Luis Carlos & Zudenkova Galina, 2013. "The Welfare Effects of Location and Quality in Oligopoly," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 13(2), pages 1143-1178, July.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:jitecd:v:21:y:2012:i:6:p:865-894. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RJTE20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.