Regulations and Laws promoting health and well-being goals (SDG3) in WHO South-East Asian countries

All countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region are making every e ort to accelerateprogress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030 for the health andwell-being of their populations. National legal frameworks help to attain these health goals,including universal health coverage (UHC), implementation of health policies, and theapplication of the International Health Regulations (2005).This publication comprehensively maps the health-related legal support envisaged for UHC,including the national regulations and laws promoting the achievement of the health goals by2030. It identi es seminal court decisions and best practices for achieving SDG3 targets. It isan evidence-based resource for all stakeholders involved in the implementation and follow-upof SDG3 on the interplay between public health, innovation and intellectual property for theachievement of UHC and SDG3 targets.

Pricing policies for generic medicines in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Singapore: patent expiry and influence on atorvastatin price

Background Little is known about how the different policies available to promote use of genericmedicines affect the price per unit supplied or sold. This study compares the influence of pricingpolicies for generic medicines on atorvastatin prices in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Koreaand Singapore, after market entry of generic atorvastatin.Methods The annual price of atorvastatin per defined daily dose supplied (price/DDD) was examinedfor each country from 2006 to 2015 (≥2 years before and ≥4 years after generic market entry). Priceswere converted to international dollars and cumulative percentage price reductions were calculated forthe first 4 years following generic entry.Results Prior to market entry of generic atorvastatin, New Zealand had the lowest price ($0.10/DDD),and the Republic of Korea the highest ($2.89/DDD). The price/DDD fell immediately after generic entryin all countries except New Zealand, which already had low prices. The largest immediate decreasewas observed in Singapore (46%, year 1). By the fourth year after generic entry, the price had fallen by46–80% in all countries; however, large price differences between countries remained.Conclusion New Zealand’s tendering system and use of preferred medicines resulted in verylow atorvastatin prices well before patent expiry. Pricing policies in the other three countries wereeffective in reducing atorvastatin prices, with reductions of between 46% and 80% within 4 years ofgeneric entry. Where tendering and use of preferred medicines were the mechanisms for atorvastatinprocurement (New Zealand), prices were lowest before and after generic entry. Mandatory pricecuts, combined with price-disclosure policies (Australia), produced similar relative price reductions totendering systems (New Zealand, Singapore) at 4 years. By comparison, mandatory price cuts upongeneric entry as the sole measure, while initially effective, were associated with the smallest relativereduction in price after 4 years (Republic of Korea).

"Unintended consequences of regulating traditional medicine"

The World Health Organization (WHO) has the noble goals of advancing traditionalmedicine and simultaneously promoting the regulation and professionalization oftraditional healers. However, such regulation has the unintended consequence ofwithholding power from traditional practitioners. This review explores this conceptthrough a historical analysis of traditional medicine in both India and Zimbabwe.During the post-colonial period in both countries, traditional medicine contributed tothe creation of national identity. In the process of nationalizing traditional medicine,regulations were set in place that led to a rise in the university-style teaching oftraditional healing. This period of professionalization of traditional healers resultedin certain types of traditional medicine being marginalized, as they were neitherincluded in regulation nor taught at university. Since then, the current era ofglobalization has commoditized traditional healing. Private industries like ZEPL andDabur have rapidly and vastly altered the role of traditional healers. Consumers cannow buy traditional medication directly from companies without visiting a healer.Additionally, disputes over patents and other intellectual property rights have ledto important questions regarding ownership of certain plants traditionally knownfor healing properties. Through regulation and commercialization of traditionalmedicine, healers have lost some of their independence to practise.