Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4595

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: Journal Article

Hale VG, Woo K, Lipton HL.
Oxymoron no more: the potential of nonprofit drug companies to deliver on the promise of medicines for the developing world.
Health Aff (Millwood) 2005 Jul-Aug; 24:(4):1057-63
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/lofref.fcgi?PrId=3051&uid=16012146&db=PubMed&url=http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16012146

Abstract:

Although some pharmaceutical company efforts to develop and distribute drugs in developing countries have been successful, many fall short of meeting needs in resource-poor nations. In the context of public-private partnerships, we discuss the concept of a nonprofit pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and distributing drugs for diseases endemic in developing countries. Using the experience of the Institute for OneWorld Health, we present the vision, core elements of the product development model, and challenges confronting this model. Despite limitations, early successes raise hopes that a nonprofit drug company can exist successfully both as a global health organization and as a business.

Keywords:
Developing Countries* Drug Industry/ethics Drug Industry/organization & administration* Drugs, Essential/supply & distribution Endemic Diseases/prevention & control Health Services Accessibility* Humans Interinstitutional Relations* International Cooperation* Models, Organizational* Organizational Innovation Organizations, Nonprofit* Poverty Private Sector Public Health Administration Social Responsibility