About "Patients and patents: a grassroots education campaign on pharmaceutical patents"
About the "Patients and patents" campaign
Millions of patients around the world, including those living with inflammatory arthritis, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis and many other life threatening and chronic diseases, are impacted by the growing costs of prescription medications. One of the drivers of high costs for medications is the misuse of intellectual property (IP) protections by pharmaceutical manufacturers to prolong market exclusivity and delay the availability of affordable generic and biosimilar medications.
The percentage of patients who fully understand pharmaceutical patent law is low. Various studies and surveys suggest that the public, including patients, have limited knowledge and understanding of pharmaceutical patents and their impact on patients.
The “Patients and patents” is a grassroots patient-led campaign that deliver research-based education on pharmaceutical patents and demonstrate that they can help drive research and innovation. However, when patents are abused, they can negatively affect patient health and access to affordable medications.
The Campaign is engaging patient communities across the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific with education and advocacy focussed on the intersection of patents, access and patient care.
Campaign Secretariat
Arthritis Consumer Experts is Canada’s largest patient-led non-profit arthritis patient organization and serves as the campaign’s Secretariat. Arthritis Consumer Experts provides research-based information and education programs to people with arthritis, helping them take control of their disease and improve their quality of life through education and empowerment.
Campaign Partners
Founded in 1967, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-fueled organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improving the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation sponsors basic and clinical research and offers a wide range of educational programs for patients and healthcare professionals.
The Australian Patient Advocacy Alliance is a collective of national health organisations, working together to represent more than 12 million Australians living with complex and chronic disease. The Alliance drives effective communication between member organisations and the federal government, allowing patient voices to make a meaningful impact on health strategy and decision making.
How you can get involved
Patients or patient organizations can get involved by sharing our resources:
- Download, print and share our Advocacy Toolkit.
- Download and share our social media posts, on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn - remember to use the #Patientsandpatents hashtag.