"Since the 1970s the pharmaceutical industry has undergone significant changes in its research and development paradigm, trade and production. Regulatory frameworks have also changed substantially, particularly in the area of intellectual property rights. This book provides much needed empirical evidence on the impact of these and other changes on the pharmaceutical sector and on access to medicines in developing countries. The studies, conducted with a common methodology, on nine developing countries (including major producers of pharmaceuticals such as China and India) and on Canada, make an outstanding contribution to the literature in the field. The data and analysis in the book are of immediate interest to policy makers and to scholars in various fields, including innovation economics, industrial policy, health systems and intellectual property."- Carlos Correa, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina This up-to-date book examines pharmaceutical development, access to medicines, and the protection of public health in the context of two fundamental changes that the global political economy has undergone since the 1970s, the globalization of trade and production and the increased harmonization of national regulations on intellectual property rights. With authors from eleven different countries presenting case studies of national experiences in Africa, Asia and the Americas, the book analyzes national strategies to promote pharmaceutical innovation, while at the same time assuring widespread access to medicines through generic pharmaceutical production and generic pharmaceutical importation. The expert chapters focus on patents as well as an array of regulatory instruments, including pricing and drug registration policies. Presenting in-depth analysis and original empirical research, this book will strongly appeal to academics and students of intellectual property, international health, international political economy, international development and law. Contributors: T. Andia, M. Bourassa Forcier, M. Flynn, P. Gehl Sampath, S. Guennif, A. Guzman, H. Klug, G. Krikorian, N. Lalitha, J.-F. Morin, K.C. Shadlen, L. Shi, M. Watanabe