Page 4 - Mid Valley Times 7-7-22 E-Edition

Founded March 26, 1891, in a two-story building on the corner of 11th and F streets, by A.S. Jones
Guest Column
Prostate drug price control measures come at too high a cost
By Craig Garthwaite
Guest columnist
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becer- ra is facing mounting pressure to unilaterally lower the price of high-cost medications. A group of nonprofits just petitioned him to cut the cost of six medications, including Xtandi, a popular prostate cancer medicine manufactured by Astellas, a Japanese drug company.
The petitioners argue that because the federal gov- ernment helped fund the basic research that ultimately led to Xtandi, the government can seize the intellectual property rights utilized by Astellas.
Even if the government could legally do that, which would rest on a dubious reading of existing law, the costs would far outweigh any benefits. It would chill all in- vestments in drug development and dramatically slow medical innovation.
Petitioners' case for government intervention is based on an unprecedented and hotly contested read- ing of a 1980 law known as the Bayh-Dole Act, which Congress passed to facilitate the commercialization of technologies invented with the help of federal funding.
Bayh-Dole allows the government to "march-in" and relicense the patents to third parties — but this was only supposed to be in an exceptionally narrow set of circum- stances when the products are truly unavailable to the public.
The government has never once found a reason to as- sert its march-in rights. In fact, administrations of both parties have rejected all previous petitions to march-in based on the price of publicly available products.
Yet, in the case of Xtandi, activists and lawmakers want the federal government to do just that. They are asking the Biden administration to cancel Astellas' ex- clusive license to the technology behind Xtandi so that generic drug makers can copy it and sell it for less.
Federal officials should reject this call. Without reli- able IP protections, the entire enterprise of drug devel- opment simply doesn't work.
After all, when a company licenses a new technol- ogy, it's taking an enormous risk. Turning a laboratory breakthrough into a practical medical treatment takes years — and costs can easily run into the billions. More often than not, those efforts fail.
Companies and investors accept these high risks for only one reason: the assurance that, if a drug succeeds, they will have the right to sell the product exclusively until their IP protections expire. Changing the rules in the middle of the game, as the petition seeks, is indistin- guishable from patent theft and will have wide ranging consequences.
Should the government choose to assert its march-in rights in the case of Xtandi, it would send a message to the entire biopharmaceutical industry that IP protec- tions can no longer be trusted — even for medicines that are already on the market.
For this reason, the decision to use march-in rights in this way is about far more than the drugs being dis- cussed. Once venture capital funders and start-ups lose confidence in the security of the IP rights they think they are acquiring, the incentive to invest in drug de- velopment would greatly diminish.
The Biden administration must join its predecessors in resisting this kind of push.
Craig Garthwaite is the Herman R. Smith Research Professor in Hospital and Health Services, a Professor of Strategy, and the Director of the Program on Healthcare at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Manage- ment.
Independence Day weekend events show off our affection for fireworks
Fred Hall — Publisher Emeritus Jon Earnest — Editor
Dick Sheppard — Editor Emeritus
Thursday, July 7, 2022 | A4 | Mid Valley TiMes Editorial & Opinions
Serving the Readers of the Reedley Exponent, Dimuba Sentinel and Sanger Herald.
A Mid Valley Publishing Newspaper
It was a noisy, but spectacle- filled, independence Day holi- day weekend for residents in our not-so-little little slice of Central California.
Reedley, Orange Cove, Di- nuba and Sanger were just four of the cities in the region who put on some type of organized fireworks or Independence Day celebration this past week- end. From July 1 through 4, people could go to locales rang- ing from downtown (Reedley), the high school (Sanger), com- munity center (Orange Cove) or golf course (Dinuba).
Each event had its own unique attraction to bring in visitors; be it shopping in Reedley or simply camping out in lawn chairs, on blan- kets with umbrellas or even awning tents. The region did catch a break with weather, as high temperatures dropped back into the 90s and even the high 80s by the Fourth itself. If you came hungry, there were a number of food options. There also was controlled setting for alcohol sales in Dinuba, and most everyone at the two shows I stopped by seemed to be in a cheery mood and ready to celebrate. Live music helped buoy people's spirits, and it also helped that there was no stifling heat draining the life out of everyone.
I enjoy going behind the scenes a bit at these fireworks shows, as I use my meager media privileges to drift over and talk with the vendors who are preparing to put on the productions. Both vendors I talked to – Fireworks America at the Dinuba event and Pyro Spectacular in Sanger — have years of experience in putting
on a show and were putting the final touches on shows sched- uled to last between 15-20 min- utes. All images I saw from both events seemed to back up the impressive quality of each show. I wasn't at the downtown Reedley event, but those who put on the fireworks display from nearby Washington Ele- mentary School received com- plimentary reviews.
Those are the organized, legal shows. The impromptu pyrotechnic displays around our cities are another matter altogether.
A shared sentiment among many seems to be that the number of illegal fireworks filling the skies remains as ex- tensive as ever. While walking the early stages of the Sanger Fourth of July Spectacular on the Fourth, there were two or three sudden whistles and ex- plosions in the daytime sky from other regions of the city. On the actual holiday, it seems some people wanted to get a jump on the activities.
I really expected this year to be one of the worst ones to imagine, based on people com- pletely back to their regular routines after a two-year hic- cup from the COVID-19 virus. But I was somewhat pleas- antly surprised that the aerial bombardments on Friday and Saturday weren't at levels I expected to endure. As the holiday drew closer, the noise levels definitely picked up, but even on the Fourth the blasts seemed to level off consider- ably after 11 p.m.
Reedley was able to avoid any fires in the city on the Fourth, although firefighters were kept busy with a blaze on
the west side of
Reed Avenue
north of South
Avenue on July
2. Sanger and
Dinuba weren't
as fortunate; es- pecially Sanger
withy four fires
and 18 calls for service.
Now, temperatures will be expected to heat back up to tri- ple digits as we drag well into July. There's still about 30-45 days of decent water releases from Pine Flat Reservoir, so the Kings River should provide a level of refreshment for boat- ers, tube enthusiasts and wad- ers. But remember to stay safe and wear a life jacket.
•••
We've hit the point of sum-
mer where not as many events and attractions are there for the communities to enjoy. Not only is it the hottest two months of the year, it's a period where most residents tend to flee the Central Valley for vacations. Often it's to the coast or moun- tains to get away from the heat, or even out of state and coun- try to visit family, friends and appealing tourist attractions.
If you have a story idea or know of an interesting event on the horizon, I welcome your feedback. Email me at our new email addresses — jearnest@ midvalleytimes.com for me, jadame@midvalleytimes.com for features editor/reporter Juanita Adame — with any sug- gestions and ideas. Or, give us a call and leave off a message at our Reedley office (559-638- 2244) or Sanger office (559-875- 2511).
Jon Earnest is news-sports editor for The Times.
Praise for
law enforcement
Ladies and gentleman I want to take the time to speak to you about our police forces. I’m tired of the liberal media and legislations condemning them. I have had the opportunity to meet many of our law enforce-
ment personal, I can tell you first hand they are the most honorable people I know they go the extra mile for us 24/7.
The liberal politicians of the United States of America are cutting their budgets, and they wonder why crime is go- ing sky high. I know Margaret Mims personally; she is a fine
lady and has served us faith- fully. We owe her a depth of gratitude for her service, she has made this community a safer place “Thank God”.
Next time you see our police officers, stop and thank them. They are the salt of the earth.
Bill Boos Sanger
Letters from readers
QUOTE
“Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but, unlike charity, it should end there.”
— Clare Booth Luce (1903-1987)
Jon Earnest
Letters Policy
MID VALLEY TIMES invites letters from the public on any topic of local relevance. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or brevity, and we reserve the right to NOT publish them if they could be deemed libelous or profane. Letters should
be 350 words or less, and bear the author's name, address, and phone number. Letters can be mailed, emailed, submitted via our website, or personally delivered to: Mid Valley Times, 1130 G St, Reedley CA 93654.
Have an opinion? Want to share it?
Weigh in. Let your voice be heard.
Send us your letter to the editor for publication on this page and on our website.
jearnest@midvalleytimes.com