Tom Bollyky

Technology is not the answer to all the world’s problems, but advances in medical diagnostics and therapeutics have the potential to improve the lives of millions of the world’s poorest people who suffer from diseases that have few, if any, effective treatments. While recent efforts by product development partnerships (PDPs) and donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health have made tremendous progress in building a pipeline for health products for neglected diseases, we have a long way to go before many of these life-saving therapies reach patients.

Last week, I participated in an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in which U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced a remarkable shift in the FDA’s thinking on food and drug import safety. If adequately supported by Congress and translated into concrete action, this change in strategy on food and drug safety could have significant benefits for U.S. and global health and development.

A still from the movie “The Constant Gardener,” starring Rachel Weisz and based on the book by John le Carre, which was reportedly inspired by the Pfizer case.

Over the last sixteen months, EU customs officials have impounded more than 20 shipments of pharmaceutical products manufactured by Indian companies. The EU maintains these seizures were intended to prevent trade in counterfeit medicines. India argues the EU is targeting developing country drug manufacturers and undermining access to lawful, safe, and low-cost generic drugs in developing country markets. Last week, India announced plans to seek settlement of the dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO).