THE UNITED NATIONS Global Classrooms 2014-2015 IES San Juan Bautista.
Global Classrooms
description
Transcript of Global Classrooms
Topic and Country Assignments
Global Classrooms
TogoAzerbaijanCongoLebanonEl Salvador
Our Countries are…
Source: http://www.google.es/imgres?imgurl=http://geology.com/world/world-map.gif&imgrefurl=http://geology.com/world/world-map.shtml&h=715&w=1200&sz=98&tbnid=WyeCmd4K74fpMM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=151&zoom=1&usg=__hKLt0UL3_I_m9lGzOEBIP_MoqIk=&docid=19EM_yJbKFXQIM&sa=X&ei=f1RxUvr7IMvH7AbK-4GADQ&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ
Where are they?
Source: http://www.google.es/imgres?imgurl=http://geology.com/world/world-map.gif&imgrefurl=http://geology.com/world/world-map.shtml&h=715&w=1200&sz=98&tbnid=WyeCmd4K74fpMM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=151&zoom=1&usg=__hKLt0UL3_I_m9lGzOEBIP_MoqIk=&docid=19EM_yJbKFXQIM&sa=X&ei=f1RxUvr7IMvH7AbK-4GADQ&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ
Africa: Togo and Congo
Central America: El Salvador
The Middle East: Lebanon and Azerbaijan
Source: http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/middleeast.html
Togo: María, Lorena, AlbertoAzerbaijan: Andrea, Wisal, AdriánCongo: Vivian, David, Jesus
**Let me clarify which Congo and I will let you know via email
Lebanon: Elisa, Adán, IreneEl Salvador: Alvaro, Manuela, Christian,
Patricia
The Groups are…
GENERIC DRUGS
UN Committee:World Health Organisation (WHO)
Our Conference Topic Is…
Source: https://d3ojdig7p1k9j.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/generic-drugs.jpg
Agency of the UN that provides leadership on global health matters
Has 194 member nationsProvides support and information on issues
like food safety, HIV/AIDS, maternal health and scientific research
World Health Organisation
Source: http://www.puntlandi.net/?p=430
“A pharmaceutical product usually intended to be interchangeable with an innovative product that is manufactured without a license from the innovator company and marketed after the expiration date of the patent or other exclusive rights.”
Generic Drugs
“A title granted by public authorities that confers a temporary monopoly for the exploitation of an invention on the person who registers it, furnishes a sufficiently clear and full description of it and claims this monopoly.”
Forbids others from using the invention without the inventors’ permission
Drug patents are usually in effect for 17-20 yearsAfter this period, other companies can produce and
sell the drug without permission: AKA generic drugsSame chemical formula as the expensive major
brand but at a much cheaper price
Patents
Major pharmaceutical companies put a lot of money into research and development of the drug and therefore charge a lot of money
Generic drug companies have the chemical formula already available to them (no R&D) and do not have to worry about the expensive and time-consuming regulatory testing. Thus they do not need to charge as much money to make money.
How are Generic Drugs Made and Why are they so Cheap?
Generic drugs are cheaper and therefore allow impoverished people to access drugs8 million people in low and middle-income
countries currently receive drugs for HIV/AIDS which would not be possible without generic drugs
Why do we care?
Impoverished people need cheap generic drugs, but major pharmaceutical companies need to make money in order to research and develop drugs.
If they can’t make money No drugsNo drugs No treatment
But then what is the problem?
A need is determinedResearch is done to find the best chemical
formula (usually on the cell or protein level)The drug is put through a series of regulatory
tests assigned by the government for the safety of peopleCells Animals Human Trials (Clinical Trials)
If the drug passes all the tests it can then be patented
The drug can then be sold to consumers
The Road to Becoming a Drug
In 1994 the World Trade Organization protected big pharmaceutical companies via the TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement
However, a country could override the patent protection by issuing a “compulsory license” when they were in the midst of an epidemic
On the Political Level
However, many countries began to abuse their compulsory licensesEx. Thailand in 2006 was not able to negotiate
a cheap enough price with Pharm companies and issued a compulsory license for cancer drugs
Diseases like Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease are known as non-communicable diseases as they are not passed from person to person.
Again, Big Pharma companies need the money to do research and development of new drugs
On the Political Level
Generic Drug production is increasingResearch and Development costs are
increasingBig Pharma companies have introduced
tiered pricing based on their clients income levelHelps low income countries but not middle
income countriesMain problem surrounds HIV/AIDS drugs, whose
patents are quickly expiring and which are expertly produced at low prices in countries like India
Current Situation
Many second line drugs (newer versions of the drug with less resistance or toxicity) are still under patents and impoverished countries must rely on older, less effective methods
While countries like the United States have put forth a lot of effort into making sure poor countries have access to HIV/AIDS drugs, they have also increased patent protection on non-communicable disease drugs. They argue that cancer and diabetes are less of an emergency than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB.
Further Problems
Global Classrooms. “World Health Organization (WHO), Topic: Generic Drugs.” Global Classrooms 2013. Print.
Source
Big pharma expenses versus profitsNeed for cheap drugs versus need for
expensive drugs that fund future researchTiered pricing pros and cons
So things to keep in mind:
NEXT THURSDAY10 MINUTES (and no more!)Citations!
I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE PRESENTATIONS!
Everyone must speak
Country Presentations
What you should includeGovernment (Government system, Head of
State, Languages)Economy (GDP, Economic System,
Development classification, import/exports, natural resources)
People (Religions, growth rate, standard of living)
MilitaryUN Relations (Has the UN had to intervene in
a country conflict?)Relations with WHO and what you think is the
country’s position on the generic drugs debate
Country Presentations
WHO WebsiteUN WebsiteAllcountries.euCouncil on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)
Research Aids