Ethical pharmaceuticals?
January 3rd, 2007This post was written by Jon Harle. You can read more posts by: Jon Harle or more posts in Campaign News
Providing access to cheap drugs in developing countries usually focuses on the production of so-called generic drugs, cheap copies of existing drugs which can be used in developing countries under the flexibilities that are provided for by TRIPS. According to an article in Tuesday’s Guardian, two UK researchers have developed a new model for the development and manufacture of ‘ethical pharmaceuticals’. They’ve designed a new and improved version of an existing drug to treat hepatitis C, and arranged for it to be clinicall trialled and manufactured in India - making the final drug much cheaper to produce, and much more affordable.
The full article is here www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,1981152,00.html
January 4th, 2007 at 10:31 am
This is potentially a massive step forward in terms of access to medicines. For me what’s most exciting is that Imperial College will hold the patent for this new drug. As professor Shaunak, one of the scientists behind this development, says “Why should we be completely dependent on [big Pharma] when we do all the creative stuff in the universities?”
One of the things I find most frustrating about the development of new drugs is that the Universities and other public institutions which carry out all the initial and most expensive research, don’t take the development of the drug through to the end point. Too often new medicines which have been heavily invested in with public money, are bought and patented by the big pharmaceutical companies, and then by the time they reach the market the prices are so high that they’re not accessible to the vast majority of those who need them. Seeing a university like Imperial deciding to keep a patent on a new drug is fantastic news. Hopefully, this will pioneer a new way of thinking about the development of new drugs. As Shaunak says, “What we have been struck by is that once we have started to do it, it is not so difficult.”
Medicines developed primarily with public money, for the health of the public should be affordable and accessible to the public. Here’s hoping this new development will start to see this logic becoming a reality. Be warned though, developments like this which have the potential to undermine the profits of the large pharmaceutical companies will not be met without resistance. Let’s watch this space…