• 1. Department of Health Hospital Management Research Institute, Beijing 100191, China;
  • 2. The Beijing Office of Third World Network, Beijing 100600, China;
  • 3. Beijing Office of Doctors without Borders, Beijing 100600, China;
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Objective To propose policy recommendations for improvement of the affordability of high cost medicines with significant public health implications under the patent system in China. Methods Through literature analysis and market investigation, this study targeted expensive life saving medicines under the patent protection, which are critical for the treatment of eight diseases with the most significant disease burden and critical social, economic and political impact for case studies, estimated the individual and insurance direct economic burden of medicines treatment. Results Chemical product patent protection enhanced medicines price monopoly. The targeted medicines brought huge financial burden to Chinese citizens, especially to the rural residents. Breaking chemical product patent protection, achieving parallel importation or making generic drugs enter into the China's market, can save huge amount of medicines procurement budget for the government, and benefit the general public. Conclusion Developing and implementing medicines registration and intellectual property right protection strategies with public health perspective, adding continuously improved basic health insurance programs, can effectively promote the affordability of high cost medicines with significant public health, social, political and economic implications.

Citation: SUNJing, ZHAOHong-yan, MALi-ping, DONGSi-ping, YANGTing-ting, YokeLing, PaulCowthrone, CHENXi-ping, CHENYou-ding. Affordability of High Cost Medicines with Significant Public Health Implications under Medicines Patent Protection System in China. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2014, 14(5): 509-516. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20140088 Copy

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