Recent global developments in the regulation of trade and intellectual property rights threaten to hinder the access of populations in developing countries to essential drugs. The authors argue for state intervention in the health and pharmaceutical markets in order to guarantee equitable access to these products.

1Department of Pharmacology, Baqyyatallah Medical Science University, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. 2Food and Drug Control Laboratories, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Food and Drug Departments, 3Tehran; 4Kermanshah; 5Fars; 6Khozestan; 7Khorasan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Received: 18/09/02; accepted: 29/09/03 ABSTRACT Prescribing, dispensing, av...

Global inequities in access to pharmaceutical products exist between rich and poor countries because of market and government failures as well as huge income differences. Multiple policies are required to address this global drug gap for three categories of pharmaceutical products: essential drugs, new drugs, and yet-to-be-developed drugs. Policies should combine "push" approaches of subsidies ...

Sir, On May 31, 2011, Hans Hogerzeil, Director of Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, received a touching sendoff from the staff and colleagues of WHO, an agency which he had served for 26 years. Hans received his medical degree from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, and spent his early years as a doctor in India, working in a lepro...

Many studies have been done to document drug use patterns, and indicate that overprescribing, multi-drug prescribing, misuse of drugs, use of unnecessary expensive drugs and overuse of antibiotics and injections are the most common problems of irrational drug use by prescribers as well as consumers. Improving drug use would have important financial and public health benefits. Many efforts have ...

OBJECTIVE To gauge the effects of operating the Bamako Initiative in Kongoussi district, Burkina Faso. METHODS Qualitative and quasi-experimental quantitative methodologies were used. FINDINGS Following the introduction of fees-for-services in July 1997, the number of consultations for curative care fell over a period of three years by an average of 15.4% at "case" health centres but increa...

mended by the manufacturer, especialiy in tropical Objective-To determine whether present harbours and during inland transport. Except for methods of international transport of essential drugs ergometrine and methylergometrine the transport by sea adversely affect their quality. would not affect clinical effectiveness. Design-Controlied longitudinal study of drug shipments sent by sea from Unic...