Page 17 - Pharma eZine 140828

These countries also ofer large pools of paients This has caused what might be understood as a At the same ime, as more and more paients

willing to be tested- factors that can reduce the
“moral paradox” in the pharmaceuical industry. in emerging countries gain access to medical
While conducing clinical trials in developing treatments, it is absolutely imperaive that direct costs of trials by over ity percent.
3

countries presents clear ethical risks, failing to pharmaceuical companies guarantee that their
develop treatments for paients in these countries is drugs do not pose unnecessary medical risks - for Equally important, low access to healthcare in

not an ethical alternaive. Western regulators like the any of their paients.
emerging countries means that there is a higher
US Food and Drug Administraion have expressed availability of “treatment naïve” paients - paients
“
serious concerns that drugs tested outside the US In addiion, the cost beneits of conducing who have not been previously exposed to other
4
may not be applicable for American paients.
research in emerging or developing countries drugs.This can have an important impact on the
means that pharmaceuical companies can test, validity of research results, as combining diferent

and by extension develop, more drugs to treat a medicaions adds variables that may obscure the Human rights
variety of condiions that alict people in all parts efect of a tested drug.5

of the world. While these drugs are oten iniially acivists have accused
sold to high-income paients in countries like Tesing drugs in diferent geographic regions also

the United States, the costs of drugs eventually ensures that a drug is clinically appropriate for pharmaceuical
decline as patent guarantees expire and new a wide variety of paients, taking into account

discoveries are made. This means that paients in geneic diferences. AstraZeneca’s lung cancer companies of cuing
developing countries do eventually beneit from drug Iressa, for example, failed to show beneits

the development of new drugs at an afordable for paients in Europe but was found to be an even corners when it comes
rate, though at a much later ime frame than their
more efecive treatment than chemotherapy in
to protecing poor or
some Asian communiies.6 Despite not winning Western counterparts.
”
approval in the West, the drug coninues to be sold vulnerable trial subjects
in China and Japan.
As the number of paients from the developing

3. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6c77bb92-cdc7-11dc-9e4e-000077b07658. from the negaive side world increases, both researchers and their criics
html#axzz31frz2H4P
will need to ind the right balance between beneit
4. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/jul/04/ethics-left- behing-drug-trials-developing
efects of their drugs.
and jusice.
5. http://www.sss.ias.edu/iles/papers/paper22.pdf
6. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/CTS/11805

ISSUE 6 Pharmaceuicals l 17