SUSTAINABLE HEALTH: THE ROLE OF PHARMACEUTICAL PATENTS

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Kristina M Lybecker

Colorado College, USA

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

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As the world becomes smaller through technological advances and easier global travel, it is increasingly apparent that diseases and pandemics no longer occur in isolated pockets of distant nations, but that the health of all citizens of the world is intricately linked. Safeguarding public health is a global endeavour and a significant challenge. The emergence of new viruses and antibiotic resistant bacteria, as well as the growing global burden of non-communicable diseases, highlight the importance of maintaining a medical arsenal that keeps pace. This paper focuses on the difficulties surrounding sustainable global health and the role of pharmaceutical patents in developing new treatments and cures to combat current challenges.

Biography

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Kristina M Lybecker is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Business at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She received her Ph.D. in Economics in 2000 from the University of California, Berkeley. Kristina’s research analyses the difficulties of strengthening intellectual property rights protection in developing countries, specifically in the context of the pharmaceutical and environmental technology industries. Recent publications have also addressed alternatives to the existing patent system, the balance between pharmaceutical patent protection and access to essential medicines, and the role of international trade agreements in incentivizing innovation. In 2016 she was awarded the Thomas Edison Innovation Fellowship by the Centre for the Protection of Intellectual Property (CPIP) at George Mason University School of Law. She has also worked with US Food and Drug Administration, Reconnaissance International, PhRMA, the National Peace Foundation, the OECD, the Fraser Institute, and the World Bank, on issues of innovation, international trade, and corruption.

Email: Kristina.Lybecker@ColoradoCollege.edu