Ethics of drug patents

Case 1. The Ethics of Drug Patents

Page 601. Questions for discussions:

1. Who are the stakeholders in this context and how are they affected by drug patents?

WTO: Among the circumstances would be required new business models for innovation in pharmaceutical.

PHYSICIANS: They are affected by the impossibility to give an optimal treatment to the patients.

PHARMACISTS: In this scenery pharmacies would not having enhanced profit margin. Low sales.

PATIENTS: The population is not able to afford needed medications.

5/5 Great Chart and description!

2. What is the social responsibility of drug companies in this case?

The “Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to Medicines” include responsibilities for transparency, management, monitoring and accountability, pricing, and ethical marketing, and against lobbying for more protection in intellectual property laws, applying for patents for trivial modifications of existing medicines, inappropriate drug promotion, and excessive pricing.

However, in this case, lack of access to medicines continues to plague the health of millions living in resource poor settings. Attention to the pharmaceutical industry's health related to the human rights responsibilities how we can see through the lecture has focused heavily on intellectual property, international trade law, and the ultimate costs of drugs. So far, ignoring many dimensions of pharmaceuticals range of influence on health systems and services.

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3. Are generic drug producer the best solution to this issue?

For using generic drugs as a solution to this problem I would consider it as an alternative to a medical treatment in developing countries. Of course, it provides a possibility for patients with financial needs. Using generic drugs would allow lend a hand to the population with diseases in a short term. Additional to this is, it could be an action to open the pharmaceutical market and thus try to move the economy of these countries in terms of price.

All the same, Innovation does not come free. If we try to take away the incentive for companies to invest billions in research, there will be fewer new products developed to fight malaria, tuberculosis and dengue fever that can save millions of lives in developing countries. Generic drug companies would do the same?

Moreover, it would be good to track the efficiency of generic’s use in patients, it should be noted that by not having 100% of composition, perhaps these could cause other diseases. Economical treatments not just could last longer, but also could add risking other health factors.

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4. Is the argument presented above fair

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