By offering up their drugs for free to developing countries, drug companies hope to make inroads into new markets, and prevent a few diseases along the way.
Intellectual property is crucial for pharmaceutical companies to survive; without it, their pricey blockbuster drugs can be replaced with cheap generics. And yet, big companies like AstraZeneca, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Merck are willingly putting some of their intellectual property information in a public database — an initiative that aims to treat neglected tropical diseases.
(READ the story in Fast Company)