I am really happy to hear Dr Druker's comments - the scientific community should speak up more about their concerns over access to the fruits of their labour. Finding the "right price" for medicines is certainly a tricky goal. However, I think what Dr Druker is broaching is the unreasonable attempts - through "evergreening" for example - to extend the monopoly privilege granted by a patent beyond its remit. What is at stake is control of the "right price". If the patent system works as it is designed to, then influence over pricing should pass from the private interest to the public interest (in this case because generic producers can enter the market and lower prices) as the patent term expires. No amount of the creditable acts of goodwill from some pharma companies can make up for the fact that it is not their right to have their patent terms extended unfairly and without genuine new innovation. Patients all over the world are able to access life-saving medicines more cheaply once the monopoly control has ended. It is not surprising that Novartis would want to protect its monopoly for as long as it can, but this only demonstrates how scary monopolies can be. Unwarranted private control in the health business is one of the most expensive mistakes our lawmakers let happen: it costs lives.