Promising Trends in Access to Medicines

Abstract

It is a vast understatement to say that the problem of access to medicines in developing countries is complex. Access is limited by a range of factors including inability to pay, a lack of infrastructure, and corruption in some countries. Surrounding and exacerbating these structural and technological problems is the layer of legal rights created by patents and their licensing that complicate and render more expensive the preparation and delivery of needed medicines, particularly those that need to be adapted to the social, health and cultural environment of developing countries. This article provides a survey of innovative strategies that aim at maximizing the potential of patents to facilitate the development and delivery of medicines against diseases the burden of which falls principally on developing country populations. To understand the context in which strategies are being proposed and implemented, the article reviews the battles over access to medicines beginning in the late 1980s. It then surveys some of the principal suggestions put forward to better direct innovation systems in addressing the critical health needs of the world's majority including advance market commitments, patent buy-outs, prize funds, public-private partnerships and patent pools.

Access to medicines after TRIPS: Is compulsory licensing an effective mechanism to lower drug prices? A review of the existing evidence

“…The use of compulsory licensing as a price negotiation tool is mostly restricted either to drugs that are not protected by patents in India or to countries where there is sufficient local technological and productive capacity to produce pharmaceutical products (Ramani & Urias, 2015). Similarly, the effectiveness of voluntary licensing is often hampered by geographical or economic limitations and other restrictive licensing terms imposed by pharmaceutical companies (Gold & Morin, 2012;'t Hoen et al, 2011). For instance, China, Russia, Thailand, and Brazil are often excluded from voluntary licensing agreements under the Medicine Patent Pool (Luca, 2015).…”

Effectiveness of prime vendor system on availability of medicines and medical supplies in selected public health facilities in Arusha district council

“…Contributing factors includes lack of consistency in supplying chain, increased in healthcare demand, poor regulatory system and insu cient funds [5]. Other factors includes lack of conducive infrastructures, increased corruption in the entire system of procurement, delaying in paying bills to the suppliers, poor accountability of suppliers and substandard of the quality of medicines and medical supplies [6,7,8]. Shortage of medicines and medical supplies has a signi cant impacts on the functioning of the health system.…”

Improving access to HIV/AIDS treatment in Brazil : when are compulsory licenses effective in price negotiations?

“…One promising experiment of this kind is the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), implemented by UNITAID and sponsored by international NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Knowledge Ecology International and Act Up Paris (Gold & Morin, 2012;'t Hoen & Passarelli, 2013). However, as a voluntary mechanism, the success of this initiative will largely depend on the willingness of pharmaceutical companies to participate and commit their intellectual property to the pool.…”

“…In addition, there is a concern that some arrangements under MPP do not lead to the efficiencies and benefits promised by a patent pool. For instance, companies may impose geographical or economic limitations and other restrictive licensing terms (Gold & Morin, 2012).…”