1. Trade & Access to Medicines in India Centre for Trade & Development www.centad.org

2. Access Situation In India  Leading supplier of generic drugs across the world  Termed as Poor man’s Pharmacy  Yet about 67% of India’s population does not have access to medicines

3. Factors affecting Access  International Policy regime- product patents, data exclusivity  Domestic Policy regime- regulation on competition, financial support, public health safeguards in IPR laws (compulsory licensing)  Rational drug use  Quality  Availability of Drugs

4.  Pricing  Procurement, Distribution & Dispensation  Research & Development

5. Actors that influence Access to Medicines  The state and its law and policy interventions  Drug regulatory authorities  Patent authorities  International organisations-WHO, WTO & WIPO  R & D institutes  Practitioners and health care providers ( doctors, medical representatives, pharmacists, hospitals)

6.  System of Price Control & monitoring  Pharmaceutical companies  Consumers & Social groups working on access related issues

7. Centad’s work on Access  Follows a Participatory Approach  Act as catalyst and coordinate activities across organisations by using research to do: - Advocacy - Capacity Building

8. Advocacy  Parliamentary Advocacy- policy notes, interactive sessions with MPs, presentations at standing committees  Media Advocacy- dissemination of research findings through press conferences, interviews, articles and short write-ups in the various leading newspapers. Organising training workshop for journalists to sensitise them about the issues