什麼是"專利懸崖"?
<P>最近制藥行業專利保護即將過期的消息引起民眾的高度重視，為什麼？因為此消息與我們的健康息息相關。那麼，我們先從術語patent cliff “專利懸崖”說起。</P>
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<P>Patent cliff refers to a sharp drop in revenue that a company experiences when a lucrative patent expires.</P>
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<P>Pantent cliff“專利懸崖”是指企業的收入在一項利潤豐厚的專利收效後大幅度下降。</P>
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<P><IMG border=0 src="http://gb.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2010/12/17/29/16743513731325966313.jpg"></P>
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<P>There is a simple explanation for most of the mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical world these days: the so-called Patent Cliff. Simply put, many of the drug industry's biggest earners are about to lose their patent protections.</P>
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<P>最近，制藥行業內部兼併案不斷，大部分可歸結為一個原因：所謂的pantent cliff“專利懸崖”。簡單地講，就是許多制藥行業的贏家將會失去的專利保護即將到期。</P>
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<P>For example, Lilly is already facing the biggest "patent cliff" in the industry. Five of its six leading products face generic competition in the next four years. Barbara Ryan, a stock analyst with Deutsche Bank, said Lilly's earnings will decline 35 percent by 2014 unless it makes one of the larger acquisitions it has historically resisted.</P>
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<P>舉個例子，美國制藥巨賈禮來公司已經面臨著業界最大的“專利懸崖”。它的六種主要產品由五種將在今後四年面臨仿製藥的競爭。據德意志銀行的股票分析師芭芭拉瑞安說，禮來公司2014年的收入將減少35%，除非它改變想法，接納較大規模的並購。</P>
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<P>失去了專利保護，一部分制藥廠商面臨破產，而另一部分則可能轉戰仿製藥市場。作為消費者的我們，有可能在此過程中買到廉價藥，也有可能無藥可買。無論哪種結果，還是先鍛鍊好身體，儘量不賣藥。</P>