One of the most important concerns in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasing out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure (OOPE) made by households. OOPE is the amount of money paid by households to purchase health services and medicines to address a healthcare need. Healthcare costs are among the largest barriers to accessing health services and achieving universal […]
At the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June 2022, trade ministers representing the 164 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) met for the first time in four years amid an ongoing global pandemic and geopolitical forces that threaten to pull the global economy into separate blocs. A new policy brief by Sandra Polaski, […]
By Rachel Thrasher, Veronika Wirtz and Warren Kaplan At the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference from June 12-15 in Geneva, Switzerland, trade ministers and other senior officials will gather to discuss the future of the international trading system. Many members view this long-delayed conference as a sign of whether the WTO as an […]
In 2021, the United Nations Committee on Development Policy adopted a resolution that Bangladesh would graduate from least developed country (LDC) status after a period of five years. As a result, Bangladesh will have to forego its exemption to intellectual property (IP) provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by 2026. As an LDC, Bangladesh […]
Global health partnerships have been growing in popularity, with many of these partnerships led by biopharmaceutical companies focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Along the way, these partnerships have faced both internal and external challenges, from lack of clarity of partner’s roles and responsibilities to a lack of harmonization. A journal article in Public Health by […]
Intellectual property (IP) provisions in free trade agreements (FTAs) ensure protection for the creation or invention of artistic works and goods, the creation or invention of which sometimes required, as in the case of medicines, high sunk cost in the form of investment in research and development. However, this protection creates a monopoly market for […]
In 2015, UN member states agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a roadmap for a more sustainable and prosperous future. The SDGs recognize the specific responsibility of the private sector in helping achieve these goals. Part of this responsibility involves documenting private sector contributions in a methodologically sound and transparent manner. The pharmaceutical […]
The 2015 Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Information (PPRI) Conference presented major challenges in achieving equitable access to affordable medicines not just in low- and middle-income countries but also in high-income countries. This included innovative medicines such as sofosbuvir, used to treat Hepatitis C, whose planned market entry hit public payers of high-income countries unprepared. As […]