Big pharma should allow generic versions of life-saving drugs, says Harvard expert

Bengaluru: Innovative solutions to improve access to pharmaceutical products have become crucial, especially in light of the severe impact health crises have had on countries in the global south.

Delivering a talk at the Bangalore International Centre on Friday, Prof William Fisher, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Harvard Law School, spoke on the legal challenges and solutions to making pharmaceutical products more accessible.

Focusing on two key dimensions of the global health crises — communicable and non-communicable diseases — Prof Fisher highlighted critical concerns: “There is an explosion of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a rise in malaria-related deaths, and the AIDS mortality rate has not significantly declined in the past five years.

He further added: “Cancer is projected to claim 18 million lives annually by 2050. Diabetes and Parkinson’s are increasing, though heart diseases and lower respiratory infections are on the decline. Life expectancy in India and the Sub-Saharan Africa remains lower than in the USA, China, Japan and Europe.”

Prof Fisher noted that vaccines and medicines play a crucial role in addressing these crises, particularly when combined with public health initiatives such as access to clean water, sanitation and nutrition.

He outlined 16 solutions to tackle these challenges, one of which is voluntary licensing, where large pharmaceutical companies license their products to smaller manufacturers to produce generic versions for developing countries.

He also discussed the patent and contract law dimensions, advocating for the removal of patent protection in extremely poor nations to facilitate access to essential medicines.

Prof Fisher proposed an innovative solution: requiring major pharmaceutical companies to meet a social responsibility index, which would measure the global health benefits of their products relative to their revenues each year.