Intellectual Property, Pharmaceuticals and Public Health

Access to Drugs in Developing Countries

Edited by Kenneth C. Shadlen, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, Samira Guennif, Université Paris 13, France, Alenka Guzmán, Autonomous Metropolitan University-Iztapalapa, Mexico and Narayanan Lalitha, Gujarat Institute of Development Research, India

This up-to-date book examines pharmaceutical development, access to medicines, and the protection of public health in the context of two fundamental changes that the global political economy has undergone since the 1970s, the globalization of trade and production and the increased harmonization of national regulations on intellectual property rights.

‘. . . this book will appeal strongly to a wide range of professionals, academics and students with interest in and involvement in public health issues worldwide, specifically the pharmaceutical industry. . . the book is timely, topical, and packed with carefully researched information which puts a number of major issues relating to pharmaceuticals in perspective. Of great value to researchers are the copious footnotes and extensive bibliographies which follow most of the articles. . . this book certainly provides you with an impressive mine of information if you find yourself having to argue your corner on any number of legal, economic and ethical issues in this complex field of study.’
– Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, The Barrister Magazine

自1970年代以来的制药工业y has undergone significant changes in its research and development paradigm, trade and production. Regulatory frameworks have also changed substantially, particularly in the area of intellectual property rights. This book provides much needed empirical evidence on the impact of these and other changes on the pharmaceutical sector and on access to medicines in developing countries. The studies, conducted with a common methodology, on nine developing countries (including major producers of pharmaceuticals such as China and India) and on Canada, make an outstanding contribution to the literature in the field. The data and analysis in the book are of immediate interest to policy makers and to scholars in various fields, including innovation economics, industrial policy, health systems and intellectual property.’
– Carlos Correa, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina

‘This impressive collection offers fascinating new perspectives on the impact of pharmaceutical patents on access to medicines in developing countries. The volume’s editors have put together an important book that sets out clearly the challenges to public health in a wide range of national contexts. The book will be a valuable text for all scholars and decision-makers interested in the global politics of intellectual property rights and public health.’
– Duncan Matthews, Queen Mary, University of London, UK