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The Economics of Transferable Patent Extensions

Author

Listed:
  • Dubois, Pierre
  • Moisson, Paul-Henri
  • Tirole, Jean

Abstract

Faced with a scarcity of treatments for neglected diseases, experts and governmental organizations have lately proposed to build strong pull incentives around transferable vouchers. Inventors would be granted, and allowed to sell these vouchers to pharmas desiring to extend their exclusive IP rights. However, we know little about how such “Transferable Exclusivity Extensions” fare relative to prizes, who is likely to acquire them and at what cost for society, or how the burden is shared among nations. We shed light on these questions, both from a theoretical perspective and from an empirical analysis of European data.

Suggested Citation

  • Dubois, Pierre & Moisson, Paul-Henri & Tirole, Jean, 2022. "The Economics of Transferable Patent Extensions," TSE Working Papers 22-1377, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Dec 2022.
    • Handle: RePEc:tse:wpaper:127464
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Natali, Ilaria, 2025. "Invisible Threat: How Airborne Pollution Fuels Antimicrobial Resistance in the EU," TSE Working Papers 25-1610, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Vouchers; pull mechanisms; burden sharing; administered drug prices; prizes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L5 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights

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