To the Editor: In their Special Communication on university-based science and biotechnology products,1 Drs Kesselheim and Avorn reviewed problems related to academic patents and possible solutions. However, the de facto contract between society and universities was not discussed, even though private contributions to universities exceeded 24 billion dollars in 2004.2
Universities exist to collect knowledge, objectively evaluate it, and make it available for students, other scholars, and society. To these ends they are granted unique privileges, which include tax-free status, access to tax deductible gifts, and governmental support. Open flow of information and collaboration among colleagues are fundamental features of academic life. This arrangement allows research to proceed without personal financial risk. Traditionally (as with the Salk vaccine), the public did not pay a second time in the form of royalties when the results were commercialized.
The development of proprietary information requires opposite values. Patents require confidentiality for their certification. Exchanges between professors must now be accompanied by restrictive material transfer agreements. Potential ethical conflicts may arise regarding scientific judgment, patient safety, or universities collecting royalties for essential drugs needed in poor countries.
Universities cannot fulfill their educational and advisory functions while withholding information to earn profit from the marketplace. Either traditional relationships with society will be restored, with the fruits of university research in the public domain, or universities will become purely entrepreneurial entities–competing in the business world without their special advantages.
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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