Wikileaks & the Pharma Scandal

What’s the Latest Development?

U.S. Government attempts to drive up the price of medicine in developing countries, as described in leaked cables, amounts to state-sponsored violence, writes James Love. Even when its officials knew, and wrote, that high drug prices would undermine access, “they conspired to undertake all sorts of pressure to get policies favorable to the drug companies.” 

What’s the Big Idea?

A typical but shocking example of this was the U.S. campaign to undermine legislation and reforms to make medicines more affordable in the Philippines, despite its then ambassador to that country acknowledging there was a strong rationale for the Philippines to cut drug prices.  “In a number of cases, the US government pressures developing countries to put pharmaceutical company lobbyists on key government committees dealing with drug regulation, IPR policy or drug pricing.”