Patents and Access to Medicines: Blocks are political and not legal

The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) is one of the main independent European Think Tanks on geopolitical and strategic issues.

IRIS, a public-interest association created in 1991, is a French think tank on geopolitical and strategic issues. It is the only international think tank to have been set up as a totally private initiative in an independent approach. IRIS activities can be divided into four fields: research, organisation of events and meetings, publishing and training.

The Global Health think tank aims to make the public more than mere onlookers of the issues that shape the future of global health. Under the leadership of Nathalie Ernoult and Dr. Anne Senequier the think tank’s ambition is to create an open and lively space for reflection where the powers that influence standards and regulatory frameworks in global health, are examined and analysed by its network of experts.

Abstract:

In early 2017, the issue of pharmaceutical patents and access to essential medicines continued to fuel debates in the field of global health due to the rivalry between health policies aimed at accessing quality and low-cost medicines; and on the other hand, trade policies aimed at fostering economic growth and income of industrial health goods. This report examines the international legal regime and the way it improves access to medicines.