The Relationship between the Spanish Government and the Pharmaceutical Company (Gilead) during the Hepatitis C crisis in Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.45.5Keywords:
Gilead, Hepatitis C, Patent, Private-Self Regulation, Sovaldi™, TRIPS Agreement, Welfare StatesAbstract
This research note investigates the pattern of governance that underpinned the management of the Hepatitis C crisis that took place in Spain in 2014. By navigating through the facts, one can see how the private interests of a multinational company – Gilead, the patent holder of the new treatment for the Hepatitis C virus – were capable of exerting pressure on Spain, a highly developed state, to a point where the government applied measures that contradicted the country’s Constitution and caused 4000 avoidable deaths. Different theories of governance will be used to try to explain the new dynamics. The main conclusion of this research note is that the power of the state is diminishing in many cases, and that this has consequences for the public interest and the population in general.
References
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Campillo, Carlos, Sandra García and Enrique Bernal. 2016. “The Merry-go-round of Approval, Pricing and Reimbursement of Drugs against the Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Spain.” Health Policy 120: 975-981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2016.07.005.
El Mundo. 2015. “Afectados por la Hepatitis C Presentan una Querella contra Ana Mato por 'Dejar Morir' a 4.000 Pacientes.” https://www.elmundo.es/salud/2015/01/12/54b2e32922601dce4e8b457b.html (05 August 2019).
Knill, Christoph and Dirk Lehmkuhl. 2002. “Private Actors and the State: Internationalization and Changing Patterns of Governance.” Governance, 15, no. 1: 41-63. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0491.00179.
La Caixa. 2016. “Hepatitis C: ‘The New Battleground for Access to Essential Medicines.” https://www.isglobal.org/documents/10179/5353835/Informe+25+Hepatitis+C+eng/4fa21b0d-9199-4e99-9f0b-c056126a77eb (24 May 2019).
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. 2015. Strategic Plan for Tackling Hepatitis C in the Spanish National Health System. 21 May. Madrid: Office of the Secretary for Health and Consumer Affairs. https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ciudadanos/enfLesiones/enfTransmisibles/hepatitisC/PlanEstrategicoHEPATITISC/docs/PEAHC_eng.pdf.
Ortega, Eduardo and Jesús Vicioso. 2015. “Hepatitis C, Manual para Entender la Polémica.” Revista Médica 226. http://www.rmedica.es/edicion/226/hepatitis-c-manual-para-entender-la-polemica (24 June 2019).
Pérez, Oliva Milagros. 2017. “El Alto Coste de un Pelotazo Farmacéutico.” El País. https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/23/opinion/1498208958_256026.html (24 June 2019).
Sagasti, Francisco and Keith Bezanson. 2004. “Global Public Goods: opportunities and threats.” The Courier 202: 15-16.
Spanish Constitution. 1978. http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Hist_Normas/Norm/const_espa_texto_ingles_0.pdf.
World Health Organization. 2019. “Hepatitis C”. https://www.who.int/hepatitis/topics/hepatitis-c/en/ (24 June 2019).
World Trade Organization. 2006. “Philosophy: TRIPS Attempts to Strike a Balance.” https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/factsheet_pharm01_e.htm#patentright (24 June 2019).
Alonso, Adrián. 2015. “Marketing Analysis for New-Generation Medicines for Hepatitis C.” Bachelor Thesis. https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tfg/2015/133550/TFG_aalonsovivanco.pdf (29 October 2017).
Brahm, Eric. 2005. “International Regimes”. In Beyond Intractability, edited by Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: September 2005. https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/international_regimes (24 June 2019).
Campillo, Carlos, Sandra García and Enrique Bernal. 2016. “The Merry-go-round of Approval, Pricing and Reimbursement of Drugs against the Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Spain.” Health Policy 120: 975-981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2016.07.005.
El Mundo. 2015. “Afectados por la Hepatitis C Presentan una Querella contra Ana Mato por 'Dejar Morir' a 4.000 Pacientes.” https://www.elmundo.es/salud/2015/01/12/54b2e32922601dce4e8b457b.html (05 August 2019).
Knill, Christoph and Dirk Lehmkuhl. 2002. “Private Actors and the State: Internationalization and Changing Patterns of Governance.” Governance, 15, no. 1: 41-63. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0491.00179.
La Caixa. 2016. “Hepatitis C: ‘The New Battleground for Access to Essential Medicines.” https://www.isglobal.org/documents/10179/5353835/Informe+25+Hepatitis+C+eng/4fa21b0d-9199-4e99-9f0b-c056126a77eb (24 May 2019).
Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. 2015. Strategic Plan for Tackling Hepatitis C in the Spanish National Health System. 21 May. Madrid: Office of the Secretary for Health and Consumer Affairs. https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ciudadanos/enfLesiones/enfTransmisibles/hepatitisC/PlanEstrategicoHEPATITISC/docs/PEAHC_eng.pdf.
Ortega, Eduardo and Jesús Vicioso. 2015. “Hepatitis C, Manual para Entender la Polémica.” Revista Médica 226. http://www.rmedica.es/edicion/226/hepatitis-c-manual-para-entender-la-polemica (24 June 2019).
Pérez, Oliva Milagros. 2017. “El Alto Coste de un Pelotazo Farmacéutico.” El País. https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/06/23/opinion/1498208958_256026.html (24 June 2019).
Sagasti, Francisco and Keith Bezanson. 2004. “Global Public Goods: opportunities and threats.” The Courier 202: 15-16.
Spanish Constitution. 1978. http://www.congreso.es/portal/page/portal/Congreso/Congreso/Hist_Normas/Norm/const_espa_texto_ingles_0.pdf.
World Health Organization. 2019. “Hepatitis C”. https://www.who.int/hepatitis/topics/hepatitis-c/en/ (24 June 2019).
World Trade Organization. 2006. “Philosophy: TRIPS Attempts to Strike a Balance.” https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/factsheet_pharm01_e.htm#patentright (24 June 2019).
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Published
2020-06-29
How to Cite
Alonso García, Serena. 2020. “The Relationship Between the Spanish Government and the Pharmaceutical Company (Gilead) During the Hepatitis C Crisis in Spain”. Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science 45 (June). Online:90-98. https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.45.5.
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