[refurb]

Protecting their investment sure, but it can extend beyond that to impact clinical perceptions of the drug such that it limits use unnecessarily (regardless of whether Otsuka markets it).

I was tangentially involved in a clinical development program that offered access through compassionate use. The folks who received the drug were truly out of options. As a result several died. Investigation determine the drug was not the cause. That didn’t stop the rumors from swirling and several physicians pulling out of the clinical trials and actively discouraging patients from taking part. Probably extended the development by at least 2 years (it was eventually approved) and as a result many people who could of benefited from it had to wait, which likely resulted in a number of deaths that could have been avoided.