Drug Dealing

Tony is currently unsure about what to think about Intellectual Property law and generic drugs for AIDS treatment. For me this is one of those issues where the moral side of the thing 'it extends thousands of lives' obliterates all thoughts of economics and such. It may event prevent the emergence of several more failed states in sub-saharan Africa which would make the world a far safer place.

In any event here is some reading to help Tony make up his mind


Word Bank Paper on the scale of the problem
Globalisation Trade Deals and Drugs
a Canadian Doctor on the implications of TRIPS
Brazils successful treatment program
Includes pricing data
The Medicin sans frontiers
campaign site
This report on an Overseas Development Institute
allowed someone from Medicine sans Frontiers to debate with someone from Glaxo Smithkline

The last one is interesting since the guy from Glaxo has a lot of interesting statistics. The MSF guy has some good data on missing markets and market failures. Also addresses the Glaxo guys argument that despite patent free drugs 30% of people needing TB treatment don't get it therefore the problem isn't with the patents. For HIV the figure is 95%, so maybe it is.