Access to medicines: making market forces serve the poor
Dr Margeth Chan,Director General ,WHO
What you need to know:
The importance of preventing stock-outs has been underscored by the advent of antiretroviral therapy for HIV, the long duration of treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the ability of artemisinin-combination therapies to prevent malaria deaths if administered quickly, and the need for life-long treatment of chronic conditions such as hepatitis B infection and diabetes. Lack of access to medicines is one of the most complex – and vexing – problems that stand in the way of better health.
