Conclusion

Abstract

This publication studies whether actions in restraint of competition always harm consumers and if not, under what circumstances positive welfare effects for consumers emerge. Antitrust laws and regulatory provisions, which can vary significantly across countries, and the complexity of the pharmaceutical market structure influence the market exclusivity time of originator manufacturers. As innovators spend about a billion of revenues on average on the development of new compounds, patent protection grants them a 20-year period of market exclusivity to generate profits for covering innovation costs.