Safeguarding public health in the wake of hegemonic intellectual property rights – Two means to this end?

Abstract

In a world with an estimated population of 7.6 billion, 2 billion people lack access to medicines that are imperative to their health and survival. Consequently, 15,000 deaths per day (more than half of the 5.6 million children who died before their fifth birthday in 2016) could have been prevented with the provision of essential health services. In total, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that at least 18 million people die needlessly each year from medicinal inaccessibility. The geographical distribution of those unable to access medicines is concentrated in developing countries (DC) and least developed countries (LDCs). As a result, the same disease with a 90% cure rate in America can have a 90% death rate in Africa.