Intellectual property

Intellectual property refers to intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. In the context of health care, the concept relates to topics such as the use of generic medicines, specifically how companies can market and sell these products within specific geographic regions. Intellectual property rights and the laws that govern them are important both to the control of standards and access to medicines, but also as an incentive for the development of new pharmaceuticals and health care products.

There has been great debate in recent years about the issue of intellectual property protection relating to access to generic medicines. This is particularly the case in areas where drug development is needed to treat a disease endemic to the region, but where the market is not large enough to support the costs of research. The balance needed between access and profit are at the heart of these debates and continue through discussions of free trade and regulation.