Improve drug access for poor nations by rewarding developers

Philosopher and human rights activist, Thomas Pogge, from the University of Columbia in New York, proposes novel reform in the way pharmaceutical innovations are rewarded. His proposal - called Profits for Health Advances - would, he believes, dramatically to reduce mortality especially in the poorer countries.

Pogge's plan would enable pharmaceutical companies to choose between the conventional right to patent exclusivity and an alternative right to be rewarded, out of public funds, in proportion to the health impact of their inventions. Correcting the current research bias toward treatments and against cures and vaccines, this reform would encourage inventor firms to develop the most cost-effective medical interventions and to help ensure that their innovations have maximum health impact.

"Access to vital drugs for the poor and increased research into neglected diseases cannot be sustained without genuine support from the pharmaceutical companies. We will win their support not through vilification and compulsion, but by rewarding them for the true social value of their work," said Pogge.

Employed at Columbia University in New York, Thomas Pogge has given many public lectures, on five continents, to help build a network of experts collaborating to specify the plan's technical details. Seed monies have been secured from governments, foundations, and universities. Pogge's research team at the Australian National University's Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics is coordinating the effort