Changes

==Summary==

S. 1138[https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s1138/text], Prize Fund for HIV/AIDS Act, was proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders during the 112th session of Congress. The bill sought to change the current patent system for drugs treating AIDS to a prize system where the inventor would receive a lump sum payment for discovering a drug, and then void any claim on a paten for the drug. The bill died in Congress, and was re-introduced as S. 626 in the 113th Congressional session[https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s626].

==Provisions==

The act nullifies patents on manufacturing processes of drugs, so that no company may hold the patent on the manufacturing process of a drug. However, a company becomes eligible for prize funds by holding a patent on the manufacturing process they use to create a drug. [Bill language: ''...in the case of a manufacturing process for a qualifying treatment for HIV/AIDS, the holder of the patent with respect to such process...'']. No new firms may be eligible for prize funds if they use a manufacturing process they did not hold a patent for.