Access to Medicine in Developing Countries: Elevating State Obligations Over Corporate Profit.

This paper investigates the divergence between the objectives of the state in ensuring citizens’ right to health and the profit-maximization objective of pharmaceutical corporations in relation to, access to, and supply of medicine. This divergence is pertinent given both the rising cost of medicines and unmet needs, particularly in developing countries. This paper analyses the correlation between pharmaceutical corporations’ profit drive and the state’s welfare obligation. There is a need to bridge the gap between business and human rights, which can be achieved by combining the concepts of “business ethical responsibility” and corporations’ contributions to “common good” with the jurisprudence on the right to health. This is imperative in view of the impact of the business of pharmaceutical corporations on vulnerable populations, particularly in, but not limited to, developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]