[Alberta's Child]

You won’t get an argument from me on any of that, but that goes to a broader question of government’s role in any of those things.

I have worked on several research projects in my career that were funded by the U.S. government. In every case, the government retained ownership of the published materials, and the research and data were in the public domain with no restrictions on use. I’m not sure why a drug patent funded through government research should be any different.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- " I’m not sure why a drug patent funded through government research should be any different."

Might I propose "big money changing hands" as a reasonable explanation?