The Impact of Intellectual Property Law on Developing Countries: Patent Law and Essential Medicines

Abstract

The relationship between intellectual property and healthcare is ever growing, particularly when dealing with patent law and the access to essential medicines in the least developed countries. This study explores the socioeconomic statuses, and the impact it may have on patents and the access to essential medicines for a group of 102 countries, which is divided into three sets of 34 countries of various human development rankings—high human development, medium human development, and the least developed countries of Africa. The results of this study suggest that there are significant correlations between intellectual property, specifically patents, and the overall well-being of a country’s population. Thus law and policy makers should take note and understand the implication of having such a patent system within our society, and understand how future decisions may affect the lives of millions.