ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the different ways in which pharmaceuticalised governance takes form resulting from the complex mix of economics, politics and cultures. Nation-states have very different patterns of pharmaceutical consumption, illustrated clearly with the case of antibiotics. Antibiotic consumption is of particular interest as it is one of the few drugs for which there has been much effort to standardise prescription and consumption, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. The chapter explores some of the differences in pharmaceutical development and consumption in the Global North and the Global South. It notes some convergence that can result from neoliberal forces, with direct-to-consumer advertising and the development of cyberpharmacies in the Global North and the de-regulation of drug markets in the Global South. These divergent and convergent forces alert us to the variable consequences of pharmaceutical consumption and the very different impacts that the same pharmaceuticals can have for citizens living in different parts of the global economy.
