The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #52077

Anthony D. So, MD, MPA, Health Equity, The Rockefeller Foundation, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2702, 212-852-8234, aso@rockfound.org

Globalization both holds a promise and poses a challenge for access to drugs and diagnostics, where the hopes for life-prolonging or life-saving treatment cross borders readily, but the products too often lag behind. The obstacles to greater access, particularly in developing countries, are complex, but increasingly becoming concerns shared in both the North and the South. The debate over patents and international trade agreements, as well as generic drug competition, has helped to catalyze a significant fall in the prices of HIV/AIDS drugs. With increased, but still inadequate funding to support HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries, there is a cascade of policy steps required to realize improved access to drugs in the South. These include both economic and trade issues (intellectual property, technology transfer, pricing, bulk procurement) as well as regulatory concerns (registration and quality assurance). In the United States, the issues of compulsory licensing, parallel imports, and delay to generic drug entry—issues that resonate in developing countries—have surfaced in the face of domestic, double-digit increases in drug prices. This presentation will discuss the evolution of challenges confronting efforts to improve access to drugs and diagnostics.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the obstacles to greater access to drugs, particularly in developing countries.

Keywords: Prescription Drug Use Patterns, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.