How Patents Drive Innovation While Building Healthcare Bridges with Henry Hadad

How do patents drive life-saving medical innovations? Henry Hadad, Head of IP at Bristol-Myers Squibb, reveals the critical connection between strong intellectual property rights and breakthrough therapies. From his family's entertainment industry background to leading pharmaceutical patent strategy, Hadad explains why patent protection strategies are essential for funding drug development. This conversation covers intellectual property fundamentals, the challenges facing startup IP protection, and how patent basics enable the next generation of medical treatments. Learn why patents don't build barriers—they create innovation bridges.

Whether you're interested in IP investing or expanding your business and creative knowledge, or learning how intellectual property shapes our healthcare future, this episode provides essential insights into why reliable IP rights matter for society's most pressing medical needs.

00:00 Introduction and Henry's creative family background
02:10 Bayh-Dole Act and university research partnerships
04:04 Government participation in patent ownership rights
05:35 Patent certainty differences between pharma and tech
07:44 Drug development costs and patent system challenges
08:31 Digital culture's impact on IP value perception
13:05 Henry's path from entertainment to patent law
17:08 Combating "patents kill" messaging through education
18:08 Addressing patent licensing misconceptions
22:08 Investment capital and patent system reliability
26:43 Personal background and family entertainment legacy
28:47 Bristol-Myers Squibb's innovation focus areas
32:24 Government vs private sector drug development
35:03 AI's impact on drug discovery and patent eligibility
37:54 China's growing biotech presence and IP improvements
39:44 Final thoughts on patent system importance