Multidisciplinary Pharmaceutical Research for Improving Access to Essential Medicines

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Pharmacy and Formulation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2021) | Viewed by 4600

Special Issue Editors

Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK
Interests: supercritical fluids; solid dispersions; peptides; nanotechnology; biomolecules
Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK
Interests: mucoadhesion; solid dispersions; formulation development; nanotechnology; nanofibre

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At least three of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) i.e. to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/AIDS, malarial and other diseases are directly dependent on access to essential medicines. Thus, ensuring availability and access to affordable and high-quality medicines is fundamental to achieving some of the MDGs. However, serious barriers to accessing essential medicines in many parts of the world, especially in low-income countries persist.

In this special issue, we want to explore Pharmaceutics research relevant to improving access to essential medicines, especially in low-income communities around the world. We are keen on cross-disciplinary research exploring opportunities in formulation/development, diagnostics, education, logistics, economics, communication, etc. within the wider scope of pharmaceutical sector and are aimed at improving access to medicines and ultimately healthcare.

We welcome research reports, reviews and other relevant communications from participants in pharmaceutical research, industry and regulation worldwide. We are keen to hear from researchers creating ‘home-grown solutions’ to address challenges which limit access to medicines in their local regions.

Dr. Vivek Trivedi
Dr. Francis Brako
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • essential medicines
  • combination therapy
  • formulation
  • drug delivery
  • paediatric
  • accessibility

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

24 pages, 1060 KiB  
Review
TRIPS to Where? A Narrative Review of the Empirical Literature on Intellectual Property Licensing Models to Promote Global Diffusion of Essential Medicines
by Shiri Mermelstein and Hilde Stevens
Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14010048 - 27 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4040
Abstract
Governed through the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) since 1995, the current medical R&D system requires significant trade-offs between innovation and high monopoly prices for patented drugs that restrict patient access to medicines. Since its implementation, [...] Read more.
Governed through the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) since 1995, the current medical R&D system requires significant trade-offs between innovation and high monopoly prices for patented drugs that restrict patient access to medicines. Since its implementation, few amendments have been made to the original TRIPS agreement to allow low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to facilitate access by generic manufacturers through flexible provisions, such as compulsory licensing and parallel import. Although a useful policy tool in theory, the routine use of TRIPS flexibilities in LMICs in the procurement of new essential medicines (EMs) is regarded as a ‘last resort’ due to strong political response in high-income countries (HICs) and new trade agreements’ restrictions. In this context, access-oriented biomedical Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) have emerged. More recently, leading multilateral health organizations have recommended different types of intellectual property (IP) interventions, voluntary biomedical patent pools, as strategies to reduce prices and increase the diffusion of novel EMs in LMICs. Nevertheless, the recent Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks highlight growing concerns regarding the use of TRIPS flexibilities and the limited success of voluntary mechanisms in promoting access to medicines in the Global South amidst health crises. This review aims at describing the state-of-the-art empirical research on IP-related options and voluntary mechanisms applied by emerging PPPs to guarantee timely and affordable access to EM in LMICs and reflect on both models as access paradigms. Some suggestions are put forward for future research paths on the basis of these analyses and in response to contemporary debates on waiving key IP rights on COVID-19 therapies, diagnostics, and vaccines. Full article
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