A practical way to improve access to essential medicines against major infectious diseases

Abstract

With the frequent outbreak of major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and H1N1, it is increasingly important for countries to have the capability to safeguard the health of their citizens and manage public health crises. The key to success lies in the availability and accessibility of essential medicines. Pushed by developing countries and international nongovernmental organizations, the conflicts regarding public access to essential medicines and protection of patented drugs have gained global attention. This chapter briefly introduces the history of the global response to the above challenges, beginning with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement through the adoption of the Doha declaration and the protocol amending the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) agreement on TRIPS. Then, it discusses the practice of compulsory licenses in both developing and developed countries and describes the huge market demand for generic drugs against infectious disease in developing countries. Finally, the chapter describes the capacity of generic drug production in major developing countries, such as India and China, as well as the roles of these countries in providing generic drugs to patients at home and to other developing countries. History has repeated itself many times due to a continued lack of essential medicines; the initial epidemic of infectious disease in developing countries has become pandemic, spreading throughout the globe. Therefore, any efforts taken by developing countries to increase access to essential medicines against infectious disease are beneficial to people in both developing and developed countries. The developing countries with the capacity and experience to develop generic drugs for public use should learn from each other and collaborate in the research, production, and distribution of generic drugs under the rights granted by the WTO agreement. Developed countries and big pharmaceutical companies should be allies rather than opponents for the ultimate goal of health promotion for all of mankind.