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JIPR Vol.17 [2012] >
JIPR Vol.17(4) [July 2012] >
| Title: | TRIPS and Access to Affordable Drugs |
| Authors: | Nair, M D |
| Keywords: | TRIPS
Affordable drugs
Access to medicines
Innovation
Patent
Compulsory licence |
| Issue Date: | Jul-2012 |
| Publisher: | NISCAIR-CSIR, India |
| Abstract: | It is a
well-recognised fact that many modern medicines, largely discovered and
developed by the pharmaceutical industry are in general unaffordable to the
majority of patients in economically backward, developing countries. Since they
constitute around 75 per cent of the world’s population, it is a matter of
great concern for the future of healthcare itself, if for the majority of
world’s population, access to medicines, which are patent protected, is denied.
Problems of access to medicines are related to the problems of non-availability
of disposable income among the population to meet their medical needs as well
as the high and unaffordable prices of drugs.
The issue that
is now being debated is the impact of the TRIPS Agreement on the availability
and affordability of much needed medicines for the poorer populations of the
world and if there is indeed a negative impact, what are the possible
modalities to reduce that impact and make drugs cheaper for deserving
populations and developing countries?
Between the flexibilities available in TRIPS
Agreement and the Doha Declaration on Public Health, can Member Countries
through appropriate legislative and administrative measures, safeguard the
interests of their poor populations? Can governments in developing countries
bring in appropriate legislations to ensure equitable access to medicines much
like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of Barack Obama approved by
the US Congress in March 2010? |
| Page(s): | 305-314 |
| CC License: |  CC Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India |
| ISSN: | 0975-1076 (Online); 0971-7544 (Print) |
| Source: | JIPR Vol.17(4) [July 2012]
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