Indian journal of medical ethics
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Indian J Med Ethics · Apr 2008
The impact of TRIPS on innovation and exports: a case study of the pharmaceutical industry in India.
Currently, there is a debate on what impact the implementation of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in India would have on its pharmaceutical industry and health care. The debate hinges primarily on two major questions. First, will the new patent regime provide an impetus for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry? Second, how far will India's pharmaceutical exports of copied versions of patented drugs to developing countries be restricted under the new regime? The first question seeks to find out if TRIPS will increase India's innovative capabilities to fill the current vacuum to develop drugs for tropical diseases. ⋯ The second question attempts to find a solution to the lack of access to medicine in most developing countries. Indian manufacturers' supply of reverse-engineered drugs, which cost only a fraction of the prices charged by MNCs, may be coming to an end under the new regime. Against this backdrop, this article attempts to analyse the impact of strengthening intellectual property rights in India.
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The National Drug Policy (NDP), 1982, of Bangladesh was expected to make available essential, good quality drugs at affordable prices. This article gives an overview of the situation today, more than two decades after the Drugs (Control) Ordinance, 1982, was promulgated to implement the NDP. While there have been some successes, many of the goals of this initiative are yet to be achieved. Inadequate supply of essential drugs, substandard quality, uncontrolled drug prices and inappropriate uses of drugs are major problems in Bangladesh.