ABSTRACT
The procurement, production, and distribution of essential medicines in low-income countries are complex processes in which intellectual property rules are just one component. These processes entail market intelligence, especially knowledge about the pricing and supply of medicines and demand forecasting; it requires complex regulatory coordination on quality and cost reduction; and it depends on opportunities for local pharmaceutical production. While efforts are often being made to meet these conditions at the national level, many low-income countries struggle to get access to essential medicines on their own. It is in this context that this chapter sets the scene for the entire book by reviewing and identifying the blind spots in the pharmaceutical access debate, and arguing why a regional collective approach as opposed to an individual country endeavour offers a strategic alternative for low-income countries in addressing both intellectual property and non-intellectual property barriers to pharmaceutical access. The chapter also provides a justification for the choice of the East African Community partner states – Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Burundi – as the case study to illustrate how regional collaboration can be harnessed to solve the challenge of access to essential medicines.
