The global drug cap

Global inequities in access to pharmaceutical products exist between rich and poor countries because of market and government failures as well as huge income differences. Multiple policies are required to address this global drug gap for three categories of pharmaceutical products: essential drugs, new drugs, and yet-to-be-developed drugs. Policies should combine push approaches of financial subsidies to support targeted drug development, pull approaches of financial incentives such as market guarantees, and process approaches aimed at improved institutional-capacity. Constructive solutions are needed that can both protect the incentives for research and development and reduce the inequities of access.