Drug Patents

The petition is entitled Extend the period of Patent for drug companies and the explanatory notes say

"To enable the companies to have more time to make a smaller profit per item, but over a longer time. This would result in lower prices for perscription drugs and stop the practice of the Goverment insisting on the use of inferior drugs that cost less but have adverse affects on the patients."

This would be marvellous if you're naive enough to think that the companies would actually charge less per-dose as a results ...

The petitioner also seems to have a strange idea about alternative drugs, too. To the best of my knowledge, a doctor can prescribe whatever drug he/she likes (assuming it's in the BP or whatever it is, and licensed for the relevant condition, etc.). If the thing is out of patent and there is a generic product available, then this must be used - but that's a generic that's exactly equivalent pharmaceutically, to the best of my knowledge.

In short, naivety, madness, or both. Probably both.