I don't know. The interesting thing is that, from: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070927/012604.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070927/012604.shtm

I don't know. The interesting thing is that, from: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070927/012604.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070927/012604.shtml >A recent GAO study found this to be a worrisome trend, noting that fewer new innovative drugs are being created -- with pharma firms instead focusing on ways to extend the patent protection on existing products by pulling a few tricks (such as "reinventing" Claritan as Clarinex just to get more patent coverage). In other words, government funded or not, patents are stifling medical innovation.