Counterfeits

Counterfeits

Counterfeit Medicines

Photo from pxhere.com (10.12.2018).

(J. Haunschild)

Illegality: Illegal: Production and sale contravening intellectual property rights; requiring national licenses to enter markets. Partly illegal but licit: cheap production and sale of replication: “pharmacies of the poor”

Harm: Economic, health

Main Global Governance Instrument: The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as part of the World Trade Organization (WTO); national regulation on market access for safe and effective medication; legal disputes between generic medication producing pharmaceutical industries and patent holding pharmaceutical industries.

Private Sector Involvement: Mainly lobbying and NGO campaigning; strong NGO involvement in health care in low income countries and conflict zones; private businesses as conflicting parties. Public-private partnership initiatives for research and development for thus far unprofitable infectious diseases.