Why does one-third of the global population not have access to essential medicines? What drives new drug research priorities? How do we manage the ethical, legal and social challenges associated with improving drug access? Answering these questions and more, this book is one of the first comprehesive and critical guides to global pharmaceutical policy issues.

This multidisciplinary book covers core issues in clear, short chapters. It is a one-stop resource for students, policy makers and academics. Bringing together the insights of over thirty different specialists from around the world, this book discusses:

* current regulation of the industry

* how it prices and markets drugs

* the importance of pharmaceuticals

* what drugs are needed on a worldwide scale

Jillian Clare Cohen is an Assistant Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto and Director of the Comparative Program on Health and Society. She conducts research and publishes widely on drug access including corruption and intellectual property rights. She has also advised governments and international organizations on pharmaceutical policy.

Patricia Illingworth is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University. She has written three books, AIDS and the Good Society (1991), Trusting Medicine ( 2005), and Ethical Health Care (2006) with Wendy Parmet.

Udo Schuklenk is a Professor of Ethics in Public Policy and Corporate Governance at Glasgow Caledonian University. He is a co-editor of the journal Bioethics and author of Access to Experimental Drugs in Terminal Illness: Ethical Issues (1998).