International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Profits First, Health Second: The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Global South; Comment on “More Pain, More Gain! The Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines and the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role in Widening the Access Gap”

Document Type : Commentary

Author
Joel Lexchin 1, 2
1 School of Health Policy and Management, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
2 Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
10.34172/ijhpm.2024.8471
Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry has a long history of prioritizing the research and sale of medicines that will yield the largest amount of revenue and placing the health of people second. This gap is especially prevalent in countries of the Global South. This article first explores the dichotomy in research between the Global North and the Global South and then looks at examples of how access to key medicines used in diseases such as HIV, oncology and hepatitis C is limited in the latter group of countries. The role of pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted negotiations for a pandemic accord that would ensure more equity in both research and access when the next pandemic comes. However, efforts by a combination of the pharmaceutical industry and some high-income countries (HICs) are creating serious obstacles to achieving the goal of an accord that would place health over profits.
Keywords
Access
Pandemic Accord
Pharmaceutical Industry
Research and Development 
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International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 13, Issue 1
2024
Pages 1-4

  • Received Date 20 February 2024
  • Revised Date 14 April 2024
  • Accepted Date 17 April 2024
  • First Published Date 20 April 2024
  • Published Date 01 December 2024