Subject category:
Economics, Politics and Business Environment
Published by:
IBS Case Development Center
Length: 19 pages
Data source: Published sources
Topics:
Social responsibility; Third World diseases and market; Drug patent regime; Intellectual property rights; Uruguay round of GATT (General Agreement of Trade and Tariffs); Pharmaceutical neglect; Pursuit of profit maximisation; NGO's (Non-governmental organisation) criticism against pharma giants; Doha Agreement; Lawsuits and governments; The social front
Abstract
The developing countries have always had a crisis when it came to disease and medicine. With twelve major infectious diseases afflicting them and non-availability of drugs, their woes worsened due to pharmaceutical neglect of developing countries. Questions arise as to whether the pharma giants of developed countries were actually serving the people in such poor countries, where diseases like HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and tuberculosis kill millions each day. Meanwhile the pharma majors were criticised for their profit-oriented business practices undermining social responsibility. In an effort to make drugs available, the governments of these countries took some initiatives, which led to a reduction of prices of the patented drugs and the onset of generics in these markets. The case study offers scope for discussion on the social responsibility factor of the global giants and how crucial it can become for their futures. The case also offers an insight into the WTO?s (World Trade Organisation) Doha declaration, which outlined the inclusion of compulsory licensing and parallel importing to serve the interests of the common man in such countries. Also, detailed in the case are the various drug donation programmes, private-public partnerships and the price war initiated by the introduction of generics in the developing countries.
Location:
Other setting(s):
1975-2004
About
Abstract
The developing countries have always had a crisis when it came to disease and medicine. With twelve major infectious diseases afflicting them and non-availability of drugs, their woes worsened due to pharmaceutical neglect of developing countries. Questions arise as to whether the pharma giants of developed countries were actually serving the people in such poor countries, where diseases like HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and tuberculosis kill millions each day. Meanwhile the pharma majors were criticised for their profit-oriented business practices undermining social responsibility. In an effort to make drugs available, the governments of these countries took some initiatives, which led to a reduction of prices of the patented drugs and the onset of generics in these markets. The case study offers scope for discussion on the social responsibility factor of the global giants and how crucial it can become for their futures. The case also offers an insight into the WTO?s (World Trade Organisation) Doha declaration, which outlined the inclusion of compulsory licensing and parallel importing to serve the interests of the common man in such countries. Also, detailed in the case are the various drug donation programmes, private-public partnerships and the price war initiated by the introduction of generics in the developing countries.
Settings
Location:
Other setting(s):
1975-2004