E-DRUG: New book on making medicines in Africa
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A new book has now been published by Palgrave and Macmillan on "Making
medicines in Africa - The political economy of industrializing for local health".
"This is a book about the industrial development of pharmaceutical
production in Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the values that drive this industrial enquiry are rooted in the needs of a subcontinent with the worst health status in the world.
The central argument of this book is that industrial development in pharmaceuticals
and the capabilities it generates are necessary elements in African initiatives to tackle these acute health care needs.
A successful pharmaceutical industry is no guarantor of good health care:
India indeed has managed to grow a highly successful
industry while leaving many of its people without access to competent care.
However, without the technological, industrial, intellectual,
organizational and research-related capabilities associated with competent
pharmaceutical production, the African subcontinent cannot generate the
resources to tackle the needs and demands of its population.
The book is a collective endeavour, by a group of editors and authors with
a strong African and more broadly Southern presence, to find ways forward
that link technological development, investment and industrial growth in
pharmaceuticals to improving access to essential good-quality medicines, as
part of moving towards universal access to competent health care.
This book presents original research, much of it from recent fieldwork in African
contexts. The authors include academics, researchers and practitioners,
including some who have been or are currently managing pharmaceutical firms
in African contexts, and some deeply involved in policy formulation and
implementation.
Open access at:
http://www.palgraveconnect.com/pc/doifinder/10.1057/9781137546470