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But the Egyptian gov't already entered into a deal with Gilead to sell Sovaldi for only $900. I assume that was negotiated in good faith.

If that hadn't happened I would agree that the Egyptian gov't could probably care less if someone broke the patent.



Saving an additional $600 per patient is significant for a country as poor as Egypt. The existence of an even cheaper alternative strengthens the Egyptian government's negotiating position for agreements going forward. Prices may be re-negotiated further downward in light of this new development.

As a rough analogy: consider the effect of sci-hub on recent negotiations between universities subscribing to academic journals and the journals' publishers. Even if the universities do not openly embrace/endorse sci-hub, the existence of an unlicensed near-substitute for the licensed product has strengthened the negotiating position of the universities.


That's true, but pissing off someone who cut you a deal usually ensures you won't get a similar deal like that again in the future.

It's a risk.




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