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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2005.077453v1 97/Supplement_1/S23    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by May, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by May, T.

Thomas May, PhD

The author is with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Thomas May, Center for the Study of Bioethics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (e-mail: tmay{at}mcw.edu).

The Bioshield Initiative seeks to stimulate development of new drugs and vaccines to prevent and treat diseases caused by biological agents likely to be used by terrorists, and recent proposals have sought to expand patent protections in this context. To the extent that patent protections are needed as part of the incentive structure for new drug and vaccine development, it may be better to strengthen patent protections on nonterror-related drugs and vaccines to avoid production capacity problems, as well as follow-up research and development problems. However, at the same time, both practical and ethical considerations argue that the good that might be achieved through expanded patent protections come at costs that make this strategy unacceptable.