Of course, loss of exclusivity is a normal
part of an innovative medicine’s life-cycle.
It comes at the end of the period when a
new medicine is safeguarded from being
copied so that we can generate returns
on the investment we have made, both to
reinvest in the business and provide an
appropriate return to you, our owners. A
well-functioning intellectual property system
of this type, which rewards innovation, is
the principal economic safeguard in our
industry. It underpins our business model,
which we explore in more detail in the
Business model section from page 10.