Intellectual Property in Biomedicine

Intellectual property (IP) in biomedicine refers to the legal protections for inventions, discoveries, and innovations in health-related fields, like new drugs or medical technologies. This system encourages research by giving creators rights to profit from their work. However, it raises ethical concerns, such as access to essential medicines and the potential for exploitation. In bioethics, these issues involve balancing the need for innovation with the responsibility to ensure that health benefits are accessible to all, protecting both individual rights and public health interests.