The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries

The Context of Medicines in Developing Countries PDF

Author: Sjaak van der Geest

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 9400927134

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Western pharmaceuticals are flooding the Third World. Injections, capsules and tablets are available in city markets and village shops, from 'traditional' practitioners and street vendors, as well as from more orthodox sources like hospitals. Although many are aware of this 'pharmaceutical invasion', little has been written about how local people perceive and use these products. This book is a first attempt to remedy that situation. It presents studies of the ways Western medicines are circulated and understood in the cities and rural areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. We feel that such a collection is long overdue for two reasons. The first is a practical one: people dealing with health problems in developing countries need information about local situations and they need examples of methods they can use to examine the particular contexts in which they are working. We hope that this book will be useful for pharmacists, doctors, nurses, health planners, policy makers and concerned citizens, who are interested in the realities of drug use. Why do people want various kinds of medicine? How do they evaluate and choose them and how do they obtain them? The second reason for these studies of medicines is to fill a need in medical anthropology as a field of study. Here we address our colleagues in anthropol ogy, medical sociology and related disciplines.

Intellectual Property and Public Health in the Developing World

Intellectual Property and Public Health in the Developing World PDF

Author: Monirul Azam

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Published: 2016-05-30

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 1783742313

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Across the world, developing countries are attempting to balance the international standards of intellectual property concerning pharmaceutical patents against the urgent need for accessible and affordable medicines. In this timely and necessary book, Monirul Azam examines the attempts of several developing countries to walk this fine line. He evaluates the experiences of Brazil, China, India, and South Africa for lessons to guide Bangladesh and developing nations everywhere. Azam's legal expertise, concern for public welfare, and compelling grasp of principal case studies make Intellectual Property and Public Health in the Developing World a definitive work. The developing world is striving to meet the requirements of the World Trade Organization's TRIPS Agreement on intellectual property. This book sets out with lucidity and insight the background of the TRIPS Agreement and its implications for pharmaceutical patents, the consequences for developing countries, and the efforts of certain representative nations to comply with international stipulations while still maintaining local industry and public health. Azam then brings the weight of this research to bear on the particular case of Bangladesh, offering a number of specific policy recommendations for the Bangladeshi government—and for governments the world over. Intellectual Property and Public Health in the Developing World is a must-read for public policy-makers, academics and students, non-governmental organizations, and readers everywhere who are interested in making sure that developing nations meet the health care needs of their people.

Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries

Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries PDF

Author: Dean T. Jamison

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2006-04-02

Total Pages: 1449

ISBN-13: 0821361805

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Based on careful analysis of burden of disease and the costs ofinterventions, this second edition of 'Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, 2nd edition' highlights achievable priorities; measures progresstoward providing efficient, equitable care; promotes cost-effectiveinterventions to targeted populations; and encourages integrated effortsto optimize health. Nearly 500 experts - scientists, epidemiologists, health economists,academicians, and public health practitioners - from around the worldcontributed to the data sources and methodologies, and identifiedchallenges and priorities, resulting in this integrated, comprehensivereference volume on the state of health in developing countries.

Intellectual Property, Pharmaceuticals and Public Health

Intellectual Property, Pharmaceuticals and Public Health PDF

Author: Kenneth C. Shadlen

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0857938614

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'This impressive collection offers fascinating new perspectives on the impact of pharmaceutical patents on access to medicines in developing countries. The volume's editors have put together an important book that sets out clearly the challenges to public health in a wide range of national contexts. The book will be a valuable text for all scholars and decision-makers interested in the global politics of intellectual property rights and public health.' – Duncan Matthews, Queen Mary, University of London, UK This up-to-date book examines pharmaceutical development, access to medicines, and the protection of public health in the context of two fundamental changes that the global political economy has undergone since the 1970s, the globalization of trade and production and the increased harmonization of national regulations on intellectual property rights. With authors from eleven different countries presenting case studies of national experiences in Africa, Asia and the Americas, the book analyzes national strategies to promote pharmaceutical innovation, while at the same time assuring widespread access to medicines through generic pharmaceutical production and generic pharmaceutical importation. The expert chapters focus on patents as well as an array of regulatory instruments, including pricing and drug registration policies. Presenting in-depth analysis and original empirical research, this book will strongly appeal to academics and students of intellectual property, international health, international political economy, international development and law.

Making Medicines Affordable

Making Medicines Affordable PDF

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-03-01

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 0309468086

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Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.

Bitter Pills

Bitter Pills PDF

Author: Dianna Melrose

Publisher:

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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This report on the relationship between health problems and the sale of medicines in the Third World concludes with a call for greater international control of pharmaceutical sales and promotion.

Drugs Policy in Developing Countries

Drugs Policy in Developing Countries PDF

Author: Najmi Kanji

Publisher: Zed Books

Published: 1992-09

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13:

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This policy-relevant study grew out of an evaluation conducted by its authors - all scholars at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam - of the World Health Organization's Action Programme on Essential Drugs. Their review, involving 13 country studies and WHO's five regional offices, looks at how the idea of a rational drug policy in developing countries came about, evaluates the achievements in specific countries, and discusses some of the issues that remain to be resolved - particularly issues around AIDs, contraception and cost recovery. It should prove useful to policy makers and academics, teachers and students, managers and professionals, as well as international agencies in the health field.

What are the roles, actions and positions of non-formal biomedical prescribers and providers in developing countries? A systematic literature review

What are the roles, actions and positions of non-formal biomedical prescribers and providers in developing countries? A systematic literature review PDF

Author: Nur Khan

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2016-08-09

Total Pages: 102

ISBN-13: 3668272182

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Master's Thesis from the year 2015 in the subject Medicine - Public Health, grade: 6.68/7, The Australian National University (College of Arts and Social Science & ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment), course: THES8103 Master’s (Advanced) Thesis, language: English, abstract: This paper aims to present a systematic review of literature to identify and synthesize the existing knowledge on role, activities and position of non-formal biomedical prescribers and providers (NFBPs) in developing countries. It argues this cadre is different from two established groups: formal biomedical practitioners and informal health care providers, who usually function outside the “formal” and “informal” domain in terms of their experience, skills, training and negotiating capacity with the biomedical world of practice. With an operational definition of practitioners who function as “Non-formal biomedical prescribers and provider” the databases searched include: PubMed, JSTOR, SocioFile, Cochrane Library, Anthropology Plus, CINAHL and PsycINFO. Grey literature were searched as well. Searches were limited to published papers since 1 January 2000, in English. A structured data appraisal sheet was used following PRISMA guidelines and applied to the papers to assess their quality. Of 90 papers initially read, 25 were selected for inclusion in this review. The most frequently-reported activity was drug selling or prescribing without a prescription (15/25 studies). Dispensing on the basis of “floating” prescriptions (i.e. prescriptions that are kept by the patient and have become recurring tickets to receive medication) was also described. Five studies described NFBPs who provided health care (e.g. diarrheal illnesses, gynecological care, and malaria diagnosis and treatment). The NFBP is often a pragmatic, emergent response to meet everyday primary and emergency health needs, and are imbued with community trust and reliance to provide. However they operate at the margin, and occupy a liminal space, being both medical but not-medical. Their positioning within the biomedical global medicine market is indistinct, grappling with direct and indirect influence by the pharmaceutical industry, and outside the formal regulatory mechanisms. Sufficiently flexible and thoughtful use of socio-cultural frameworks can lead to more theoretically informed analysis of the research in systematic reviews, and clear recognition of NFBPs as an emerging distinct group needed to develop policy and effective interventions to capitalize on the existing roles and practices of non-formal biomedical prescribers and providers.

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