[AIDS and social justice: pharmaceutical industry and economics].
This article takes a broad look at the complicated framework of relationships between the third world and pharmaceutical companies. In the first part of the work reference is made to the poverty of these countries, their lack of education in terms of health, the scarcity of basic hygiene, and their greatly limited access to medicines, especially those for treating AIDS. The article then proceeds to the issue of the pharmaceutical companies' degree of responsibility for the reduced availability of medicines in certain areas of the world. One of the factors that most limits access to medicines is their price, and many sectors of society propose taking action on the patents of drugs (rescinding or limiting them) in order to lower their price. However, the problem of patent exemption is more complicated than it seems at first glance, and comes with its own risks. If, for lack of funds or the uncertainty concerning a return on the capital invested, pharmaceutical companies discontinue research and development of new drugs, AIDS therapy would worsen. It is imperative and urgent to develop new drugs against the AIDS because of its resistance to the drugs currently available. The article concludes with the pharmaceutical industry's effort to look for possible forms of collaboration with developing countries.
López Guzmán
José
J
Departamento de Humanidades Biomédicas, Universidad de Navarra Edificio Los Castaños, Universidad de Navarra 31008 Pamplona. jlguzman@unav.es
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D003906:Developing Countries; D016527:Drug Costs; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D012935:Social Justice