Remove import taxes from drugs, say manufacturers
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have welcomed international pressure to remove import taxes from medicines.
Currently, only 22 of the 149 World Trade Organization member countries
have signed up to a 12-year-old WTO agreement not to levy duties on finished
pharmaceuticals. No developing country has signed it. The US, Switzerland
and Singapore want pharmaceutical tariffs to be included in the Doha
Development Round of WTO negotiations.
Countries that have the highest import tariffs on medicines include Iran
(54 per cent), Nigeria (20 per cent), Thailand (18 per cent), Zimbabwe
(17.6 per cent) and India (16 per cent).
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations
director-general Harvey E. Bale Jr said: “By acting immediately
to remove tariffs on imported medicines, these governments will allow
a broader
section of their population to benefit from access to modern medicines.
This will help improve public health in their countries, raise productivity
and, ultimately, increase their economic competitiveness and wealth.”
Import taxes on medicines have also been criticised in a report by a
coalition of organisations including the UK’s International Policy
Network. The report recommends that policy makers in poor countries should
remove taxes, tariffs and barriers that prevent the poor obtaining medicines.
It also suggests that the patenting process needs to be improved in many
countries and that all countries should consider increasing the effectiveness
of their drug regulatory agencies.
The report is available (PDF 900K). |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader