Appropriate pharmaceutical policies in developing countries

There are several peculiar features of the pharmaceutical industry which invite government intervention in developed as well as developing countries. In poor countries in particular, the pressure to economise on drug purchases leads to policies to bypass the system of innovation and marketing which has grown in the rich countries: thus, the large drug multinationals are subjected to a large battery of controls. The main factors which lead poor countries to permit MNCs are their superior operational efficiency and their transfer of technology. A more liberal set of policies is advocated to promote growth and innovation.