Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15468

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Publication type: report

med4all
Medical research: Science in the public interest
2009 Apr 21
http://med4all.org/fileadmin/med/pdf/med4all_englisch_final.pdf

Abstract:

Drugs may be essential for survival: According to the information of the World Health Organization (WHO), several millions of people die every year of diseases which could be treated with medication
or prevented by vaccinations.1

There are a lot of reasons why life-saving drugs are inaccessible for many people: infrastructural problems in poor countries, lack of personnel in the healthcare system, high customs and tax duties on medical products, but also high prices for the drugs themselves.

Especially in the case of newly developed drugs, monopolies cause high prices due to patent protection. In terms of the economy, patents are an instrument to increase prices. However, this is how drugs become unaffordable, particularly for poor people. How can access to low-priced drugs be ensured? This question is not only important to people in poor countries, because even in Germany
expensive drugs already contribute significantly to the crisis in healthcare systems…

…How can it be ensured that as many people as possible have health benefits from new research results? There are already modern approaches worldwide, trying to meet this demand. New license models under the Equitable Licensing concept are being discussed in the United States between public institutions and commercial enterprises. These aim to allow access to the products and technologies of publicly sponsored research.

We want to use this brochure to present the Equitable Licensing concept and thus contribute to a solution of the problems of drug supply in poor countries…

Notes:

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