Next Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson is planning to renew their patent on Bedaquiline, a Tuberculosis (TB) medication. This will keep the price of this medication high, since only J&J will be able to manufacture it, preventing millions of people in lower income countries from affording this medication.
TB is entirely treatable, yet it kills more than 1,500,000 people a year due to the unaffordability of medication. Again it is ENTIRELY TREATABLE, but J&J’s patent currently prevents manufacturers around the world to distribute Bedaquiline to those in need.
HOWEVER, this patent expired today, and if a large enough voice expresses dissent towards J&J’s plan to renew the patent, we can stop them from doing so. I’ve attached all the links you need to reach J&J in the comments. The company itself is not some evil force. Its made up of people who probably think they are doing the right thing. They arent. And we have to let them know that.
As a consumer you have a certain power in the products you choose to buy. I encourage you to find other alternatives to J&J products, including Listerine, if they go through with this patent. Because why the fuck would you trust a company that denies medicine to those in need for a bump in their profit margin?