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by Produce 5076 days ago
I don't know.

The interesting thing is that, from: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070927/012604.shtml

>A recent GAO study found this to be a worrisome trend, noting that fewer new innovative drugs are being created -- with pharma firms instead focusing on ways to extend the patent protection on existing products by pulling a few tricks (such as "reinventing" Claritan as Clarinex just to get more patent coverage).

In other words, government funded or not, patents are stifling medical innovation.