Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models
Pharmaceutical products have contributed to longer life expectancy and better quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, they often account for a significant share of household expenditures, especially among the poor and those fac...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/766131641877985994/Pharmaceuticals-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean-Players-Access-and-Innovation-Across-Diverse-Models http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36871 |
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okr-10986-368712022-01-25T05:10:47Z Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models Vargas, Veronica Rama, Martin Singh, Rucheta PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE Pharmaceutical products have contributed to longer life expectancy and better quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, they often account for a significant share of household expenditures, especially among the poor and those facing catastrophic health shocks. And they are not always accessible, as dramatically exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This mixed record can be linked to the workings of the pharmaceutical sector, an issue that has not received much attention in policy discussions. This paper identifies the sector’s key domestic and foreign players, and analyzes its local output, international trade, and price levels. It also documents government policies, including intellectual property rights, regulatory oversight, and public procurement. An important contribution of the paper is to show the significant scientific capacity of the region, especially in relation to biological products - including vaccines - whose intrinsic heterogeneity challenges intellectual property rights protection. Based on this diagnosis, the paper flags three sets of issues for policy makers to consider. Relatively uncontroversial measures include strengthening regulatory authorities, promoting the use of generics, and upgrading public procurement. Other areas, such as supporting R and D and regulating prices, involve tradeoffs. Finally, there are strategic choices to be made, with some countries in the region favoring stringent intellectual property rights, while others support national champions or rely on state entrepreneurship. 2022-01-24T20:35:35Z 2022-01-24T20:35:35Z 2022-01-03 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/766131641877985994/Pharmaceuticals-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean-Players-Access-and-Innovation-Across-Diverse-Models http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36871 English CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Working Paper Latin America & Caribbean Caribbean Latin America |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English |
| topic |
PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE |
| spellingShingle |
PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT PUBLIC PROCUREMENT SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE Vargas, Veronica Rama, Martin Singh, Rucheta Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| geographic_facet |
Latin America & Caribbean Caribbean Latin America |
| description |
Pharmaceutical products have
contributed to longer life expectancy and better quality of
life in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, they often
account for a significant share of household expenditures,
especially among the poor and those facing catastrophic
health shocks. And they are not always accessible, as
dramatically exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This mixed
record can be linked to the workings of the pharmaceutical
sector, an issue that has not received much attention in
policy discussions. This paper identifies the sector’s key
domestic and foreign players, and analyzes its local output,
international trade, and price levels. It also documents
government policies, including intellectual property rights,
regulatory oversight, and public procurement. An important
contribution of the paper is to show the significant
scientific capacity of the region, especially in relation to
biological products - including vaccines - whose intrinsic
heterogeneity challenges intellectual property rights
protection. Based on this diagnosis, the paper flags three
sets of issues for policy makers to consider. Relatively
uncontroversial measures include strengthening regulatory
authorities, promoting the use of generics, and upgrading
public procurement. Other areas, such as supporting R and D
and regulating prices, involve tradeoffs. Finally, there are
strategic choices to be made, with some countries in the
region favoring stringent intellectual property rights,
while others support national champions or rely on state entrepreneurship. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| author |
Vargas, Veronica Rama, Martin Singh, Rucheta |
| author_facet |
Vargas, Veronica Rama, Martin Singh, Rucheta |
| author_sort |
Vargas, Veronica |
| title |
Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| title_short |
Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| title_full |
Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| title_fullStr |
Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Pharmaceuticals in Latin America and the Caribbean : Players, Access, and Innovation Across Diverse Models |
| title_sort |
pharmaceuticals in latin america and the caribbean : players, access, and innovation across diverse models |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2022 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/766131641877985994/Pharmaceuticals-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean-Players-Access-and-Innovation-Across-Diverse-Models http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36871 |
| _version_ |
1764486064064430080 |