Patents and the Distribution of Income

The NYT had a piece on efforts to encourage doctors to assess the price and relative effectiveness of drugs when writing prescriptions for cancer patients. It notes that drug companies charge $10,000-$30,000 a month for many of the new cancer drugs. It then comments on the suggestion that doctors should take these costs into account in deciding treatment:

"Evaluating the latter cost would put doctors in the role of being stewards of societal resources. That is somewhat of a controversial role...