ABSTRACT
When one reviews the situation concerning the availability of modern pharmaceutical products throughout the world at the beginning of the twenty-first century, marked regional differences are immediately apparent. The so-called ICH (International Commission on Harmonization) tripartite areas (North America, western Europe, and Japan) have strong research-based pharmaceutical industries, which produce a plethora of pharmaceuticals both for their own use and for export. Table 1 illustrates this fact, showing that at least 92% of the world’s company-financed pharmaceutical research and development is conducted in the tripartite areas. Many of the residents of these areas have relatively easy access to modern drug products, although there are still significant segments of these populations who have serious financial limitations on their ability to purchase the drug products that have been prescribed for their or their dependents use.
