Healthy Skepticism Library item: 14912

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: media release

HAI.
New international rules on patents make medicines more expensive
HAI 2009 Jan 19

Full text:

New international patent rules make medicines more expensive in the developing world. This is the conclusion of researcher Ellen ‘t Hoen in her book The Global Politics of Pharmaceutical Monopoly Power. On 19 January in Amsterdam Paul Bekkers, AIDS ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands will receive the first copy of the book.

The increase in cost of newer medicines as a result of more widespread medicines patenting threatens the viability of many AIDS treatment programmes – and access to medicines more broadly. Patent monopolies may also form a barrier to the development of adapted formulations such as medicines for children or ‘three-in-one’ combination tablets. Countries that have taken measures to break drug patent monopolies are heavily criticised by the pharmaceutical industry and are often confronted with trade sanctions by western countries.

Ellen ‘t Hoen suggests policy changes in the management of pharmaceutical patents and the way medical innovation is financed in order to protect public health and, in particular, promote access to essential medicines for all. She advocates for the development of a medicines patent pool for low and middle-income countries. A patent pool would provide access to essential intellectual property for the production of more affordable generic medicines and the development of adapted formulations against the payment of royalties to the patent holder. A successful patent pool will help remedy the negative effects of the new international patent system and promote the protection of public health.

Ellen ‘t Hoen is a lawyer and an expert in intellectual property and medicines policy. From 1999 until 2009 she was Director of Policy and Advocacy of the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF). She is a research fellow at the IS HIV/AIDS Academy of the University of Amsterdam.

The book will be presented at an international conference on access to AIDS treatment organised by the IS Academy HIV/AIDS project of the University of Amsterdam.

Contact details
For more information and/or registration please contact Nicole Schulp. Members of the media can also request a review copy of the book (pdf or hard copy).
E-mail: N.Schulp@uva.nl