Deseret News: John Hoffmire: The influence of generic drug production on developing countries
John Hoffmire, director of the Impact Bond Fund at Saïd Business School at Oxford University, director of the Center on Business and Poverty at the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and chair of Progress Through Business

“Due to the difficulty in accessing drugs from brand-name pharmaceutical companies, most patients in developing nations are heavily relying on less-expensive generic drugs. … There is less coverage of the millions dying each year from [diseases like HIV/AIDS, cholera, malaria, and pneumonia]. Why? … These diseases do not afflict people in the West to such a great degree, and if they do, those living in developed countries can more easily and effectively treat them. … If every life is equal, we should do all that we can to prevent people from dying early. Preventive approaches, such as better sanitation, access to clean drinking water and mosquito netting will curb malaria and cholera respectively. We need to do all that we can to support well-coordinated efforts [among] the World Bank, the U.N., WHO, pharmaceutical firms, NGOs, and charities. Working cooperatively and collaboratively will lead to more efficient research, development, and delivery of effective, economical vaccines and other remedies to cure and ultimately prevent these diseases” (1/18).