Future prospects of branded pharmaceutical products in a generic oriented market

Dissertant

al-Iraqui, Layla

Thesis advisor

Hulten, Bertil

University

Al Akhawayn University

Faculty

The School of Business Administration

University Country

Morocco

Degree

Master

Degree Date

2007

English Abstract

Purpose The overall objective of this report is to discuss the future prospects of branded pharmaceutical industries in a market dominated by generics.

To embark upon this situation, the problem of intellectual property protection is by no means raised and discussed in all its dimensions.

Two different approaches have been used to surround the crisis of intellectual property in the pharmaceutical field.

One bolsters partisans for generic companies and the other sustains those in favour of branded companies’ protection.

Evidences and beliefs have been displayed to finally dismantle the importance of intellectual property defence and its vital role for generics’ survival.

Background Intellectual property protection has been subject of many debates and many rounds that gathered different nations several times to discuss the issue.

They came up with the decision that intellectual property should be sheltered in all fields and more specifically in the pharmaceutical domain to ensure the continuity and blooming of intellectual and economic development.

Anyone who violates this law will be prosecuted by legal authorities.

Methods The contents of this research are based on a synopsis of the issue of the intellectual property throughout the world.

Literature on this subject has been gathered and analysed to deeply understand the forces that drive each of the two trends supporters to defend their convictions.

The shape of this paper is like a funnel; it first starts with intellectual property definition in its broad sense than in the pharmaceutical industry.

(The reason why I select this specific domain is that I have been working in a multinational pharmaceutical company for 15 years; and this is the domain I most likely know).

Economic disparities are due to the ability of each country to protect its irmovations from illegal replicas.

A branded product is one that is first discovered by an innovator and protected for a length of time imtil it falls in the public domain; then a copy or a generic has the right to come to the market.

The second part of this script encircles the problem of IP in the pharmaceutical sector.

How health professionals live the trouble.

Generic supporters, on the one hand, are giving all the reasons to convince governments to consent to products’ duplication without the patentee’ permission, or at least to make the patent time protection as short as possible.

People are dying because of non accessibility to vital drugs.

If we take the example of patients with HIV, most of them are living in the least favourable areas of the world.

When India offered its generics, death scale is said to be reduced by almost 50%.

Branded leaders on the other hand, are fighting hard to make legal authorities protect their innovations as long as possible.

Because they say what the motivation would be for researchers if they were unable to recoup at least the expenses they met during discovery time.

What is the logic behind all their time and grey matters’ loss? These questions gave birth to several rounds and international treaties as ‘Doha’s’ and ‘TRIPS’ to find solutions to these controversies.

After several meetings, involved countries came up with several solutions like “Bolar Exception”, “Parallel Imports”, “Compulsory licensing” and so on.

These agreements came along with their philanthropic programs to eradicate some diseases from poor countries.

The third part outlines the health situation in Morocco.

This country, as part of the World Trade Organisations (WTO) and of the emerging countries, is compelled to stick to the international instructions regarding the safety of the intellectual property.

Though Morocco satisfies 80% of its needs in medications, there is still much to do in the health sector.

16% only of people benefit from health insurance.

The others pay all out of their pockets (when we think that health purchasing power does not exceed DH200/pers/year, how can they meet the basic survival needs for their families?).

Fortunately, the government is well aware of this deadlock which now represents one of its priorities.

One of the governors’ programs is to provide hospital with well equipment, dispatch the medical population all throughout the country, and mostly afford people with health insurance.

To determine the future prospects of branded industry in Morocco, a SWOT analysis has been made in the fourth part highlighting each of the 4 dimensions: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, while taking into consideration the actual economic state.

Based on the findings of the analysis, the fifth part proposes some recommendations for branded industries to save guard their honourable rank on an international level but most likely in a country that is inexorably driven by generic industry.

Main Subjects

Business Administration

No. of Pages

63

Table of Contents

• APA
• MLA
• AMA

Language

English

Data Type

Arab Theses

Record ID

BIM-627543