OAFP 9315 - Access to medicines in a global perspective

The issue of access to medicines is often at the centre of public policy debates in the healthcare sector. The increase in the price of newly marketed medicines and in the number of medicine shortages, as well as the lack of research and development efforts targeted at diseases encountered in low-income countries spark intense debates and have concrete repercussions for patients across the globe. This class will explore the economic, legal and political dimensions of ensuring access to medicines from a global and multi-disciplinary perspective.

The first part of this course will describe the contemporary biopharmaceutical market, its main actors as well as its current shortcomings, which are shared across the globe. The second part of this course will analyse the globalization of intellectual property rights and its concrete effects on access to medicines on a global scale. The third part will use concrete examples of policies undertaken at the national, regional or global level to deal with the main shortcomings of the biopharmaceutical market and foster access to medicines for the greatest number.

Throughout the course, a specific attention will be dedicated to understanding the role of non-governmental actors such as brand-name biopharmaceutical companies and civil society, as well as of international organizations in shaping access to medicine.

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Lectures and interactive teaching, with Q&A and class discussions based on mandatory class readings and case studies. Occasional interventions of guest teachers.

Students will be expected to complete the assigned readings prior to each session (about 2-3 readings per session – approximately 2 hours of weekly workload) in order to be prepared for class discussions. Assigned readings will be systematically discussed in class.