Industry is buying control rather than funding research, which means a world of pain may result. When University of Toronto scientists discovered insulin, they intended it to be much cheaper than the $1,251 it costs the average American annually. That’s why they sold their patent to the school for just $1 in 1923, allowing the university to license the lifesaving medicine to many manufacturers to keep prices low. But in 1972, the university sold the patent, and it’s been sold again since. Now it’s held by French pharma giant Sanofi, one of only three companies controlling prices in a global insulin market worth billions. It’s a classic case of the difference between when academics, rather than private interests, control new discoveries. Industry is becoming increasingly voracious, gobbling up profitable knowledge by creating a monopoly on patents — a shift that comes as companies off-load the cost of basic research to universities and public institutions. And it is sparking concerns, from the cost of future lifesaving medicine and technology to job opportunities for Ph.D. scholars. | 