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Cautionary Notes on a Global Tiered Pricing Framework for Medicines
Owain D Williams1, Gorik Ooms, Peter S Hill
1Owain D. Williams and Peter S. Hill are with the School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia. Gorik Ooms is with the Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium.
American Journal of Public Health
|May 15, 2015
Summary
A global tiered pricing framework for medicines could improve access, but careful consideration is needed to ensure it benefits developing countries without excluding the poor or undermining patent flexibilities.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Intellectual Property Law
- Global Health
Background:
- Policy momentum exists for a global tiered pricing framework for medicines.
- This framework aims to differentiate medicine prices based on a country's ability to pay.
- The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is a key reference point.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze influential proposals for a global tiered pricing framework since the TRIPS Agreement.
- To identify critical questions for the successful functioning of such a framework.
- To explore the implementation challenges of a global tiered pricing system.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of influential policy proposals.
- Synthesis of critical questions for framework implementation.
- Analysis of potential benefits and risks.
Main Results:
- Identified key proposals and their characteristics.
- Synthesized six critical questions essential for a functional framework.
- Explored numerous implementation challenges.
Conclusions:
- A global tiered pricing framework has potential to enhance medicine access and benefit producers.
- Crucial concerns include preventing the exclusion of the poor from markets.
- Maintaining existing flexibilities within the international patent regime is paramount.
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