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The open source approach literally transformed the software industry and in turn had a huge impact on just about any aspect of life touched by technology. I am so committed personally to the open source community – I published my book ‘Teaching an Anthill to Fetch‘ under a Creative Commons licence, rather than the the traditional ‘All Right Reserved’ copyright approach.

Having spent some time in the pharmaceutical industry myself I know how territorial they are about their IP (intellectual property). Long, and often very expensive, research and development paths lead to the discovery of new drugs. However the pharmaceutical industry is one of of the most profitable because of the high cost they can demand for the successful new treatments. Pointing at no one in particular as I say it – there is a lot of unnecessary greed practiced in this industry. Some of the companies should look more closely at their vision statements to see if they reflect the well-being of investors bank accounts or the health of the human species (these are not necessarily mutually exclusive).

What I am saying is that the industry has the potential for achieving a great deal of good for our planet beyond simply increasing its share value. I don’t think it is tapping into that potential right now.

Farmvita.net is bringing the concept of open source into the field of pharmaceuticals and what a welcome sight. This article is a foretaste of some thing great a truly collaborative approach toward bringing much needed health care to all levels of society.