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How do local production capabilities in global generics and biosimilar industries impact on public health security challenges in India and African countries?

Aims

Generic and biosimilar medicines have the potential to lower the costs of drug treatments. 

However the increasing domination of the Indian and Chinese pharmaceutical industries over global generics and biosimilar production and supply, is raising concerns over the future of affordable healthcare in developing countries. 

This project will gather evidence which will inform policy and practice in African countries, and in India, to help secure the flow of affordable medicines to their healthcare systems. 

Investigators

Dinar Kale, Open University (Principal Investigator)  
Stuart Parris, Open University    

Funding

This project is funded through The Open University’s internal top-up funding for the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), as part of our work to support the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. 

Summary

This project is creating a network of researchers, policymakers, patient groups, professionals, entrepreneurs and business representatives to investigate the links between local production capability in the global generics and biosimilar industries, and access to affordable healthcare. 

We are doing this through ‘evidence cafés’ in India and Kenya, where experts can share knowledge on regulatory and institutional development and policy options to improve the local production capability and use of generics and biosimilars. 

We aim to build a new international research and impact network with a unique interdisciplinary capacity. Its findings will provide health and industrial policy inputs for improving access to affordable and appropriate healthcare in India and African countries. 

More information

This project is aligned with the GCRF project Innovation for Cancer Care in Africa (ICCA).

Contact us

To find out more about our work, or to discuss a potential project, please contact:

International Development Research Office
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
United Kingdom

T: +44 (0)1908 858502
E: international-development-research@open.ac.uk