Question

Recently, Pfizer and Allergan – the makers of Viagra and Botox, respectively – initiated a $160 billion merger. Pharmaceutical companies tend to spend a greater percentage of sales on R&D activities than other industries. The government encourages these R&D activities by granting companies patents for drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. For instance, Allergan spent large sums of money developing its popular wrinkle-removing neurotoxin, Botox, which is currently protected under a patent. Botox sells for about $15 per vial.Calculate the Lerner index if the marginal cost of producing Botox is $1.50 per vial.

Answer 1

Lerner index for Botox = 0.9

Step-by-step explanation:

The Lerner index measures market power in an industry. The formula for calculating the Lerner index is: L = (P - MC) / P

Lerner index for Botox = ($15 - $1.50) / $15 = 0.9

0.9 in the Lerner index means that a company has a very large market power. Under this situation, this is quite logical since Allergen has a monopoly on Botox, at least until the patent expires.

The Lerner index varies between 0 and 1, with 0 being a situation of perfect competition and 1 a monopolistic situation.