Publication

This paper looks at the implications of patents on international pharmaceutical trade, primarily between the US and developing countries. The author begins by outlining the disparity in health provision between rich and poor nations and then looks at the problems and controversies the present system creates regarding international trade. The advantages and disadvantages of a patent and intellectual property system regarding the pharmaceutical industry are reviewed with an acknowledgment of the different agendas of western companies and developing nations. The author concludes by offering a summary of alternative systems.