As Americans, surviving is a secondary function. But for people living in 3rd world countries, survival is a full time job. Contracting Malaria and Tuberculosis is a bad day for people like us but for the underdeveloped world, it’s a death sentence. Tefo Pheage, a highly respected journalist from Botswana who is a regular to cover UN meetings, wrote his article “Dying from Lack of Medicines” for Africa Renewal online(A UN program). Pheage describes the horrific problem of the lack of medicines in Africa. “Approximately 1.6 million Africans died of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV-related illnesses in 2015” and which drugs are used to treat these illnesses, or rather, lack thereof. Drug companies often look for profit rather than the purpose of the drugs they make, to create little to no opportunity cost, which is why, with little money in countries like South Africa, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, the drugs are often not given to people who need them the most. However, there have been signs of progress in countries like Botswana.
The lack of pharmaceutical access in 3rd world countries is no secret to the world. The specifics are not widely shared. The biggest killers in Africa are Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria and HIV which adds up to 1.6 million deaths a year just in Africa. These diseases are easily curable or manageable for the 1st world but there is often no hope for those who do not have the access to medical facilities as the developed world does.
The reason for this is, as “many African political leaders and development experts believe that the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to offer technical support to African manufacturers. For example, in 2001, 39 international pharmaceutical companies dragged the South African government to court to challenge its plans to manufacture and import cheap, generic HIV/AIDS drugs. The companies claimed that South Africa’s plans breached their patent rights”. Pharmaceutical companies don’t allow their products to be produced in the developing world due to the lack of profit. But this leaves millions “without access to medicines”. And with no lifesaving medications “nurses give painkillers to sick patients as a ‘treat-all drug,’”. So instead of treating patients, health caretakers just load them up on painkillers, which are highly addictive, to make the patient comfortable for their impending death. This shows a system that lacks ethics, especially on the part of the pharmaceutical companies’. Medicine is supposed to be a humanitarian business, the actual purpose of their business is to improve and save people's lives, but instead they leave the people who can’t afford their products to the wolves.
There has been improvement, for example in Botswana, it “could be malaria-free by the year 2020”. “Director-general of Botswana’s health ministry Shenaaz el Halabi told Africa Renewal, ‘We have seen a tremendous improvement in our healthcare system in recent years.’ Ethiopia has made considerable progress too, particularly in the control of HIV and treatment of malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases. ‘Ethiopia’s increased investments in expanding effective health coverage—it rose to 95% in 2013 to 2014—has already improved health indicators in the population, reducing child mortality and HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis,’ states WHO.” These improvements were made by the ability to make generics in those countries. The FDA definition of a “generic drug” is “a drug product that is comparable to a brand/reference listed drug product in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use”. In other words, a drug that essentially the same as a patented drug, but it can only be made after the patent expires. A way to solve this problem is by allowing third world countries to make generics, while the patent is still in commission, but putting heavy regulations on how they use them. Only allowing the government to make the drugs and prohibiting the selling of them, to only be used free of charge, could allow those who need the drug to save their lives to be treated.
-How can groups that push for international pharmaceutical access help?
-How to help stop the spread of disease?
-How can groups that push for international pharmaceutical access help?
-How to help stop the spread of disease?
