Doctoral thesis: The role of patent protection and access to medicine in the Latin American development

Dhanay Cadillo has for her doctoral thesis, "The Role of Patents in the Latin American Development: 'Models of Protection' of Pharmaceutical Patents and Access to Medicines in Brazil, Chile and Venezuela", conducted a comparative study between Brazil, Chile and Venezuela. The study analyses the three countries as regards the highly topical questions of patent protection and the access to medicines. Her aim was to identify one suitable system to inspire legislative reforms in Venezuela.

"On the one hand, there is an imperative need to tackle pressing health concerns and on the other hand, it is important to provide adequate incentives to carry out research and development. Even though developing countries share similar health concerns, each country has a different set of needs and the approach to intellectual property rights and access to medicines vary largely. For example, Brazil, Chile and Venezuela deal with the challenges in very different ways, despite their geographical location on the same continent", states Cadillo.

In her thesis Cadillo concludes that Venezuela could learn from both Brazil and Chile. "By adopting the Brazilian use of the TRIPS Agreement flexibilities (the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Venezuela will be able to provide patent protection while meeting pressing national health needs. Chile, on the other hand, implements health policies in order to ensure the people's access to medicines, regardless of the patent system since their system does not seem to collide in anyway with they Government's duty in providing adequate health care" Cadillo explains.

Cadillo's research stresses the need for Venezuela to identify the external factors, other than the patent system, that jeopardise people's access to medicines.

Dhanay María Cadillo Chandler, Master in Foreign Trade, defends her doctoral thesis in Commercial Law: " The Role of Patents in the Latin American Development: 'Models of Protection' of Pharmaceutical Patents and Access to Medicines in Brazil, Chile and Venezuela" on 22 August 2014.

Time: 22 August 2014, at 12
Place: Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki
Oponent: Professor Thomas Riis, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Custos: Professor Marcus Norrgård, University of Helsinki, Vaasa

For more information, please contact:
Dhanay María Cadillo Chandler
Cadillo@hanken.fi
+358 50 4332211

A copy of the thesis can be downloaded here Opens in new window .