Topic: Insuring Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: Amanda Espinosa
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Brazil position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
The availability of pharmaceuticals is a top priority in Brazil. Since their creation, the production of generic drugs has aided doctors in combating disease because they are cheaper and more available to the public. Cheap pharmaceuticals are beneficial to all countries because they promote health and wellness in people and help pharmaceutical companies grow by having a product that people can easily purchase. This encourages people to keep healthy as well as preventative care, reducing high cost health care and health-related deaths.
Pharmaceuticals are expensive because of the money required for research and development. These costs can be lowered by governmental health policies that promote research and development, particularly in the area of financial cooperation and regulation. These policies have been put into effect in health in Brazil since 1996 and deaths due to disease have been steadily lowering ever since.
Counterfeit drugs are considered a serious public health problem in Brazil, and various ways to reduce their harm on the public are to raise awareness of their existence through advertising, monitoring entry points of the counterfeit drug supply chain. The regulatory authority of Brazil, ANVISA, has proposed the use of serial numbers on individual boxes to help monitor the process and keep track of the drugs.
The expiration of patents allows drugs to be produced at cheaper prices, and is a great benefit to a nation’s public health. Making agreements with drug manufacturers is important in maintaining the integrity of a nation, and negotiation over price should always be taken seriously so that the balance of cash flow benefits the people. However, patents can be overridden through the issuing of a compulsory license, allowing a Brazil to manufacture and distribute a generic version of these drugs at a cheaper price regardless of the original manufacturers rights. This would be considered a last resort, but would be necessary in the face of a serious disease when a pharmaceutical company refuses to cooperate with the needs of the people.
