Big pharma, small countries

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Pharmaceuticals don’t necessarily carry the image of grassroots doctors and aid workers going around underdeveloped countries and crossing warzones to distribute cheap drugs to the world’s poorest populations. However, a report from The Guardian broke down the contributions of the biggest pharmas to the production of accessible and affordable drugs made available in third world countries.



It seems like a case of developing conscience. Or, it could merely be a recognition of conquering markets by volume. The good in all of this is that medicines for epidemic-level diseases are no longer the preserve of rich countries. Logically, diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, and malaria are more common in poorer societies. The global pressure to address them is, of course, a by-product of government policies on health in concert with those of the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Pharmaceuticals like Glaxosmithkline, Sanofi, and Johnson and Johnson have notably adjusted their pricing. They are also pledging ethical practices in research and testing, a far cry from the days some of the biggest ones in the industry were being accused of inhuman procedures.


Population boom could also have ushered economies of scale in drug development and production. Diseases have become more common, necessitating a ready supply of specific medications. The drive for perfecting vaccines for diseases such as malaria has intensified. It might really be just a good time to produce drugs.

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On ethics and necessity: Pharmaceutical companies and lab rats

Rights are a common topic these days, and the discussion encompasses not just humans’ rights but those of animals as well. This has become a major issue across many industries, particularly in pharmaceutics. For years now, pharmaceutical companies and laboratories have been using animals such as rats, dogs, and guinea pigs to test their products, a practice that has caused quite an uproar especially from animal rights advocates.

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Ironically, ethics is cited as one of the primary reasons for why animals are used in laboratories. Human testing is considered taboo in practically any territory worldwide. On the other hand, companies cannot release products without being sure of how they affect their potential users. For this reason, they turn to other mammals which, theoretically, would react to a drug or substance the same way that humans would. Animals are used as humanity’s proxy in the creation of medicines that do not have adverse effects on the human body.

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For animal rights advocates, animal testing is an act of cruelty to animals. The argument is that these animals are not biologically far from human beings, and should be treated with as much dignity and respect as is afforded to any man or woman. Additionally, advocates forward the prevalence of animal abuse across many laboratories worldwide. Some organizations for animal rights are suggesting that laboratories use cells cultured from human bodies in testing pharmaceutical products.

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Medicine has come a long way, and will no doubt go further as technology and research advance. The argument will continue until a compromise is reached.



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