A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications
Abstract In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee approved the addition of 16 cancer medicines to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), bringing the total number of cancer medicines on the list to 46. This change represented the first major revision to the EML oncolog...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Globalization and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-019-0497-3 |
| _version_ | 1818328181652848640 |
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| author | Sangita M. Baxi Reed Beall Joshua Yang Tim K. Mackey |
| author_facet | Sangita M. Baxi Reed Beall Joshua Yang Tim K. Mackey |
| author_sort | Sangita M. Baxi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee approved the addition of 16 cancer medicines to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), bringing the total number of cancer medicines on the list to 46. This change represented the first major revision to the EML oncology section in recent history and reinforces international recognition of the need to ensure access and affordability for cancer treatments. Importantly, many low and middle-income countries rely on the EML, as well as the children’s EML, as a guide to establish national formularies, and moreover use these lists as tools to negotiate medicine pricing. However, EML inclusion is only one component that impacts cancer treatment access. More specifically, factors such as intellectual property rights and international trade agreements can interact with EML inclusion, drug pricing, and accessibility. To better understand this dynamic, we conducted an interdisciplinary review of the patent status of EML cancer medicines compared to other EML noncommunicable disease medicines using the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st editions of the list. We also explored the interaction of intellectual property rights with the international trade regime and how trade agreements can and do impact cancer treatment access and affordability. Based on this analysis, we conclude that patent status is simply one factor in the complex international environment of health systems, IPR policies, and trade regimes and that aligning these oftentimes disparate interests will require shared global governance across the cancer care continuum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:28:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61dd7f7329d64538ae174440daac2aef |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1744-8603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:28:05Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Globalization and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-61dd7f7329d64538ae174440daac2aef2022-12-21T23:46:09ZengBMCGlobalization and Health1744-86032019-09-0115111410.1186/s12992-019-0497-3A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medicationsSangita M. Baxi0Reed Beall1Joshua Yang2Tim K. Mackey3Pardee RAND Graduate SchoolCommunity Health Sciences, University of CalgaryDepartment of Public Health, California State University, FullertonPardee RAND Graduate SchoolAbstract In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee approved the addition of 16 cancer medicines to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML), bringing the total number of cancer medicines on the list to 46. This change represented the first major revision to the EML oncology section in recent history and reinforces international recognition of the need to ensure access and affordability for cancer treatments. Importantly, many low and middle-income countries rely on the EML, as well as the children’s EML, as a guide to establish national formularies, and moreover use these lists as tools to negotiate medicine pricing. However, EML inclusion is only one component that impacts cancer treatment access. More specifically, factors such as intellectual property rights and international trade agreements can interact with EML inclusion, drug pricing, and accessibility. To better understand this dynamic, we conducted an interdisciplinary review of the patent status of EML cancer medicines compared to other EML noncommunicable disease medicines using the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st editions of the list. We also explored the interaction of intellectual property rights with the international trade regime and how trade agreements can and do impact cancer treatment access and affordability. Based on this analysis, we conclude that patent status is simply one factor in the complex international environment of health systems, IPR policies, and trade regimes and that aligning these oftentimes disparate interests will require shared global governance across the cancer care continuum.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-019-0497-3Model list of essential medicinesEMLPharmaceuticalsAccess to medicinesCancerPatent status |
| spellingShingle | Sangita M. Baxi Reed Beall Joshua Yang Tim K. Mackey A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications Globalization and Health Model list of essential medicines EML Pharmaceuticals Access to medicines Cancer Patent status |
| title | A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| title_full | A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| title_fullStr | A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| title_full_unstemmed | A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| title_short | A multidisciplinary review of the policy, intellectual property rights, and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| title_sort | multidisciplinary review of the policy intellectual property rights and international trade environment for access and affordability to essential cancer medications |
| topic | Model list of essential medicines EML Pharmaceuticals Access to medicines Cancer Patent status |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-019-0497-3 |
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