Piraceuticals

Published: Oct. 3, 2017, 8 a.m.

This episode we go to a future with pirates! There always has to be at least one pirate episode per season. This time it\u2019s pharmaceutical pirates.\xa0\n\xa0\n\xa0This episode was inspired by a new book by Annalee Newitz called Autonomous. It\u2019s very good and you should read it. I am not being paid to say that, I just really like the book.\xa0\n\xa0\n\xa0Autonomous tells the story of two main characters: Jack the pharmaceutical pirate, and Palladin the bot that is trying to hunt her down. A few cool links related to Autonomous:\n\xa0\n\xa0How to Write a Novel Set More Than 125 Years in the Future\n\xa0Robots need civil rights, too\n\xa0Sword and Laser podcast #306 - Indentured Robotude w/ Annalee Newitz\n\xa0Pirates and Robots Square Off Over Drugs in Annalee Newitz\u2019s Debut Novel\n\xa0In A Future Ruled By Big Pharma, A Robot Tentatively Explores Freedom \u2014 And Sex: 'Autonomous'\n\xa0\n\xa0For our episode, we focused on the pharmaceutical piracy part of the book. And to talk to us about the nitty gritty of how pharmaceuticals are made, and how they\u2019re protected by patents, I talked to Jason Kahana, the founder and president of a small biotech company called Integrity Biosolutions, and Charles Duan, the director of the Patent Reform Project at Public Knowledge. [Full disclosure: my father and Jason know each other and have worked together in the past.]\n\xa0\n\xa0These Aren\u2019t the Patent Remedies You\u2019re Looking For (No, Really)\n\xa0Teva Pharmaceuticals Antitrust Settlement is a Win for Competition\n\xa0Martin Shkreli Is Big Pharma\u2019s Biggest A**hole\n\xa0Drug C.E.O. Martin Shkreli Arrested on Fraud Charges\n\xa0Yusuf Hamied, generic drugs boss\n\xa0The Treasure of Mumbai\xa0\n\xa0Pharmaceutical deformulation\n\xa0The Role of Reverse Engineering in the Development of Generic Formulations\n\xa0The Impact of the US Food and Drug Administration Chlorofluorocarbon Ban on Out-of-pocket Costs and Use of Albuterol Inhalers Among Individuals With Asthma\n\xa0Do Patents Disclose Useful Information?\xa0\n\xa0We Are Definitely Against Indefiniteness in Patents\n\xa0\n\xa0Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro and ad-break music is by Hussalonia. The pirate music from the intro is by Nerve Damage. The future voices this episode were played by Tamara Krinsky, Brent Rose and Stephen Granade. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.\xa0\n\xa0\n\xa0If you want to suggest a future we should take on, send us a note on Twitter, Facebook or by email at info@flashforwardpod.com. We love hearing your ideas! And if you think you\u2019ve spotted one of the little references I\u2019ve hidden in the episode, email us there too. If you\u2019re right, I\u2019ll send you something cool.\xa0\n\xa0\n\xa0And if you want to support the show, there are a few ways you can do that too! We have a Patreon page, where you can donate to the show. But if that\u2019s not in the cards for you, you can head to iTunes and leave us a nice review or just tell your friends about us. Those things really do help.\xa0\n\xa0\n\xa0That\u2019s all for this future, come back next month and we\u2019ll travel to a new one.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices