Trade Politics And Policies Regarding Access To Cancer Drugs

Abstract

Life is unpredictable. Lifestyle changes in our fast-paced world make human beings strive to achieve their livelihoods amidst stress. This has resulted in numerous types of diseases, among which is cancer. The causes of cancer are vast and exhaustive in their list. Despite ongoing research aimed at identifying these causes, determining the precise factors behind cancer remains a daunting task in many cases. Apart from the challenge of diagnosing the causes, the next significant hurdle is the affordability of the expensive drugs required to treat patients with cancer. This article sheds light on trade politics and policies surrounding access to cancer drugs. The paper is divided into three parts. First part deals with trade politics and policies of state on patent laws. Second deals with compulsory licensing policy on access to drugs. Third would discuss in detail about the non-affordability of cancer drugs. Finally, would come up with suggestions to sort out the issue to non-affordability of cancer drugs. The suggestion is that state should consider the interest of patients who are non-affordable to cancer drugs and therefore join hands with medical and trade community to overcome the hurdles that cause non-affordability.