Ideas worth spreading

Pool medical patents, save lives

443,902 views | Ellen 't Hoen • TEDxZurich 2012

Patenting a new drug helps finance its immense cost to develop -- but that same patent can put advanced treatments out of reach for sick people in developing nations, at deadly cost. Ellen 't Hoen talks about an elegant, working solution to the problem: the Medicines Patent Pool.

Patenting a new drug helps finance its immense cost to develop -- but that same patent can put advanced treatments out of reach for sick people in developing nations, at deadly cost. Ellen 't Hoen talks about an elegant, working solution to the problem: the Medicines Patent Pool.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxZurich 2012, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Ellen 't Hoen

Medicine law expert

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The founder of the Medicines Patent Pool, Ellen 't Hoen works (and makes change) at the place where profit and health collide: patented drugs.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxZurich 2012, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.