R&D for development of new drugs for neglected diseases in India

Abstract

The world pharmaceutical industry dominated by multinational corporations has neglected research for drugs for diseases of poor countries. Introduction of stronger patent protection in India after World Trade Organization's TRIPS agreement has failed to rectify this deficiency despite the substantial increase in R&D activity. In the light of the experience of the Indian private sector and the public-private partnerships initiated in India for the development of new drugs, the paper explores some policy options and suggests the expansion of public-private partnerships to include organisations from other innovative developing countries such as Brazil and China.