Women in poor and low-income countries face barriers to gaining access to reliable healthcare, affordable patented drugs, and life-saving essential drugs. In particular, vulnerable and marginalized women in low-income countries suffer the most because of a lack of access to healthcare services, including barriers related to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of medicines. Access to patented drugs is an additional burden on women, who already have to contend with multiple other constraints that prevent them from meeting their healthcare demands.
While there is a need to address both the financial and structural factors that curtail women’s choices in exercising their right to health, this brief by Sama, titled “Exploring Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines from a Gender Approach,” argues for valuing the health of marginalized women over patent rights and corporate profits.