WHO Warns Of "Winds Of Change" In Pharma Sector

In terms of global trade, the pharmaceutical sector is evolving in wayswhich many developing countries fear may not be to their advantage, comments the World Health Organization, in an editorial in its Essential Drugs Monitor.

Multinational companies are emerging, and in the process concentrating important elements of market share and product lines into fewer hands, it says. Moreover, the editorial notes, harmonization of registration requirements for new drugs has been confined to drug regulatory authorities and research-based drugmakers in Europe, Japan and the USA.

Impact Of TRIPS Also noted is the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement, which grants member companies a minimum 20 years' patent protection. The impact of this on developing countries, the editorial warns, cannot yet be known. and points to a recent study published by the WHO Task Force on Health Economics, which concluded that although patent protection will be enhanced by TRIPS , this will not necessarily be to the benefit of all countries.