Intellectual Property Rights in Biotechnology: Balancing Innovation and Access

Emilia Novak
Harvard University, USA

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5912/jcb2494

Abstract:

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in biotechnology provides the primary means of incentivizing innovation by giving protection to an invention like genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pharmaceuticals and gene therapies. Patents and other IPR frameworks advance investment and technological advancements, but at the same time encourage monopolization, expensive drugs, and obstruction to the flow of essential treatments and technological innovations going into agriculture and lifesaving medicines, especially in the developing countries. In this paper we discuss the issues and the ethical considerations involved in the balancing of innovation and accessibility in biotechnology. It examines means to encourage such equitable access to the outcomes of biotechnological advances while allowing for incentives for research and development, including mandatory licensing, patent pooling, and open access models. To ensure scientific progress and a race win beneficial to the public welfare, policymaker, researcher, and industry stakeholders must work together to strike a balanced/ sustainable IPR framework.