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COPIED UNDER FAIR USE The pharmaceutical industry as
a medicines provider Rising prices of medicines are
putting them beyond the reach of many people, even in rich countries.
In less-developed countries, millions of individuals do not have access
to essential drugs. Drug development is failing to address the major
health needs of these countries. The prices of patented medicines usually
far exceed the marginal costs of their production; the industry maintains
that high prices and patent protection are necessary to compensate for
high development costs of innovative products. There is controversy
over these claims. Concerns about the harmful effects of the international
system of intellectual property rights have led the World Trade Organization
to relax the demands placed on least developed countries, and to advocate
differential pricing of essential drugs. How these actions will help
countries that lack domestic production capacity is unclear. Better
access to essential drugs may be achieved through voluntary licensing
arrangements between international pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers
in developing countries. |