Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines
The recent expiration of several blockbuster pharmaceutical patents offers new opportunities for generic drug production in Africa. Moreover, 2015 marked a critical juncture; a transition from the Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals. The implications for African economies i...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2018-01-01
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Series: | Cogent Medicine |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331205X.2018.1500196 |
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author | Frederick Ahen Outi M. H. Salo-Ahen |
author_facet | Frederick Ahen Outi M. H. Salo-Ahen |
author_sort | Frederick Ahen |
collection | DOAJ |
description | The recent expiration of several blockbuster pharmaceutical patents offers new opportunities for generic drug production in Africa. Moreover, 2015 marked a critical juncture; a transition from the Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals. The implications for African economies in the area of generic drug production and global health outcomes are vast given the potential to increase access to medicines for neglected diseases and other emerging health crises. This issue-based article analyses the extent to which several coeval variables of governance and macro-economic nature can potentially create the market and institutional conditions to spur innovations for improving access to medicine via cross-sector social partnerships. Proposals for solving grand challenges in Africa’s pharmaceutical markets often fail to address the most fundamental impediments to innovation, besides being mostly donor-driven. Through document analysis, we problematize conventional formulae for healthcare governance with a measured critique of prevailing orthodoxies by offering implementable alternatives. We propose inclusive, innovative models for marshalling sustainable access to high-quality affordable medicine. We identify bottom-up and entrepreneurially viable strategic reversal of decades of systematic damages that have contributed to the underdeveloped pharmaceutical market, whilst striking a reasonable balance between what the desirable future is and what can set the stage for a durable change through game-changing market and innovative mechanisms. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:42:15Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-4ccbfcae970b451281f6947877125a30 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2331-205X |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:42:15Z |
publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
record_format | Article |
series | Cogent Medicine |
spelling | doaj.art-4ccbfcae970b451281f6947877125a302022-12-22T03:24:43ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Medicine2331-205X2018-01-015110.1080/2331205X.2018.15001961500196Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicinesFrederick Ahen0Outi M. H. Salo-Ahen1University of TurkuPharmacy, Åbo Akademi UniversityThe recent expiration of several blockbuster pharmaceutical patents offers new opportunities for generic drug production in Africa. Moreover, 2015 marked a critical juncture; a transition from the Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals. The implications for African economies in the area of generic drug production and global health outcomes are vast given the potential to increase access to medicines for neglected diseases and other emerging health crises. This issue-based article analyses the extent to which several coeval variables of governance and macro-economic nature can potentially create the market and institutional conditions to spur innovations for improving access to medicine via cross-sector social partnerships. Proposals for solving grand challenges in Africa’s pharmaceutical markets often fail to address the most fundamental impediments to innovation, besides being mostly donor-driven. Through document analysis, we problematize conventional formulae for healthcare governance with a measured critique of prevailing orthodoxies by offering implementable alternatives. We propose inclusive, innovative models for marshalling sustainable access to high-quality affordable medicine. We identify bottom-up and entrepreneurially viable strategic reversal of decades of systematic damages that have contributed to the underdeveloped pharmaceutical market, whilst striking a reasonable balance between what the desirable future is and what can set the stage for a durable change through game-changing market and innovative mechanisms.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331205X.2018.1500196africainclusive businessinstitutional innovationsinternational businessmarkets and institutionsmitigation policiespharmaceutical marketsustainable global health |
spellingShingle | Frederick Ahen Outi M. H. Salo-Ahen Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines Cogent Medicine africa inclusive business institutional innovations international business markets and institutions mitigation policies pharmaceutical market sustainable global health |
title | Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
title_full | Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
title_fullStr | Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
title_full_unstemmed | Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
title_short | Governing pharmaceutical innovations in Africa: Inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
title_sort | governing pharmaceutical innovations in africa inclusive models for accelerating access to quality medicines |
topic | africa inclusive business institutional innovations international business markets and institutions mitigation policies pharmaceutical market sustainable global health |
url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331205X.2018.1500196 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT frederickahen governingpharmaceuticalinnovationsinafricainclusivemodelsforacceleratingaccesstoqualitymedicines AT outimhsaloahen governingpharmaceuticalinnovationsinafricainclusivemodelsforacceleratingaccesstoqualitymedicines |