Rising drug prices have led to major issues with providing broad access to medicine around the world. While these issues receive significant media attention, it is important to understand fully why these problems exist in order to come up with real solutions. My perspective is shaped in large part by my background as a scientist. As a researcher, I viewed the issue purely through a scientific lens. I was focused on how to improve the drug development process through the technologies we were creating. However, I realized that there were also legal issues constraining technology development that spurred my interest in attending law school to pursue a career in patent law. As a first-year law student, my perspective has already broadened. I now know about legal barriers that can inhibit the impact of those technologies on global access to improved and cheaper medicine.

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