As the human and economic toll of the COVID-19 coronavirus steadily escalates, there is extreme uncertainty regarding the timeframe for prevention, detection, and treatment. ¹ There is also concern about the eventual costs associated with approved products and the barriers to access created by the patent system. Industry, government, and academic collaborations are leading the charge in the discovery race, partnerships which have triggered calls for the activation of the federal governments so–called ``march–in rights'' established in the Bayh–Dole Act. ² The Bayh–Dole Act dramatically altered the patent protections available to federally funded institutions and initiated a 40-year debate over appropriate incentives for innovation and the scope of the government's authority. The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to reflect on the purpose and impact of the historic legislation as well as contemplate the implications for our public health future. Patent rights for therapeutic compounds, methods of delivery, and medical diagnostics will significantly impact access to and cost of life-saving innovations. This article examines current calls for the U.S. government to utilize governmental march–in rights to quell concerns about patent monopolization and product pricing in the face of our current pandemic.

中文翻译：

---

COVID-IP：以2020年愿景盯着《 Bayh-Dole法案》

随着COVID-19冠状病毒对人类和经济造成的损失不断增加，在预防，检测和治疗的时间表方面存在极大的不确定性。 ¹还担心与批准产品相关的最终成本以及专利制度造成的获取障碍。工业界，政府和学术界的合作在发现竞赛中处于领先地位，这种伙伴关系引发了对联邦政府的激活的呼吁，这些联邦政府即《 Bayh-Dole法案》中确立的所谓的“权利享有”。²《 Bayh-Dole法案》极大地改变了联邦资助机构可获得的专利保护，并引发了长达40年的关于适当的创新激励措施和政府权力范围的辩论。COVID-19大流行提供了一个机会，可以反思历史性立法的目的和影响，并考虑其对我们公共卫生未来的影响。治疗化合物，递送方法和医学诊断的专利权将极大地影响获得救生创新的方法和成本。本文探讨了当前要求美国政府利用政府干预权来平息当前大流行情况下对专利垄断和产品定价的担忧。