There are two groups engaged in the high-tech research to sequence or map the human genome that is to identify every detail of the genetic matter in the human body. Within that mass of information lies the potential to cure every disease known to man, but that potential will not be realized without the development of new pharmaceuticals, and new pharmaceuticals will not be developed without patents. Creating new drugs necessitates billions of dollars of investment. The pharmaceutical industry in the U.S., Europe, and Japan requires strong intellectual property rights on genes and gene products for them to invest the billions of dollars required to develop new drugs. The operative mechanism in this process is the patent, which enables companies to recoup their investments in researching new medicines, the majority of which fail and provide no return.
Patents are misunderstood to represent secrecy and protection of information for a select few.
In fact, the opposite is true. Patents guarantee public disclosure of new discoveries and inventions to make sure that others can build on them. No one is patenting the human genome, scientists and companies are patenting human genes that they think will lead to the development of new treatments for disease. There is no value in a patent on the human gene unless it leads to a new therapeutic or diagnostic. Conversely, new medicines will not be developed without patents.