It’s Time for a Public Option in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Dana Brown and Thomas Hanna

Dana Brown and Thomas Hanna of the Democracy Collaborative write for In These Times on "It’s Time for a Public Option in the Pharmaceutical Industry." In their article, Brown and Hanna highlight TDC work in public ownership and the need for "drugs for the public good:

[...]  Publicly owned pharmaceutical companies exist in several countries around the world including Sweden, Cuba, South Africa and Brazil. Sweden’s Apoteket AB (a pharmacy chain and drug producer), for instance, is a highly successful enterprise that in 2015 returned a dividend of approximately $133.5 million to its sole owner—the Swedish state. Cuba’s entirely public pharmaceutical industry is known for its innovations, including the world’s first cancer vaccine, currently in clinical trials for use in the United States. It holds over 1,200 international patents, supplies most of the medications needed internally and markets to more than 50 other countries, generating as much as $700 million in annual revenue. [...] 

Read more at In These Times

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