Statistical Trends in Pharmaceutical Research for Poor Countries

Introducing patent rights in developing country markets might stimulate greater R and D investment targeting their specific health needs – areas long neglected. This paper examines this argument using statistical data and survey evidence. We identify a set of diseases where 99 per cent of the burden is estimated to fall in lower income countries. Because science gaps and market potential will influence R and D priorities, this group is broke into a subset that already have low-cost and effect treatments, and those that to not.