Medicine regulation - not IP enforcement - can best deliver quality medicines, says Oxfam

Poor-quality, or “substandard” medicines threaten patients and public health in developing countries. Prioritization of medicines regulation by developing-country governments, with the technical and financial support of rich countries, is badly needed, according to a briefing paper released last week by the charity Oxfam International.

Under the guise of helping to address dangerous and ineffective medicines, rich countries are pushing for new intellectual-property rules and reliance on police - rather than health regulatory - action, it claims.

This approach will not ensure that medicines consistently meet quality standards. Worse, new intellectual property rules can undermine access to affordable generic medicines and damage public health. Developing countries must improve medicines regulation - not expand intellectual-property enforcement - in order to ensure medicine quality.