Abstract
This paper attempts to analyse the experience of Sri Lanka in reforming the structure of production, importation and distribution of pharmaceuticals during the period 1972–76. Since the pharmaceutical industry is one of vital concern for every developing country, and since it is overwhelmingly dominated by transnational companies (TNCs) that possess considerable market power as well as proven ability to resist reform, such an analysis can serve two purposes.
The authors are grateful to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Sri Lanka, for permission to publish the findings of their research into its operations and to T. Attapattu for collecting statistical material. They wishto thank Ajit Singh for comments on an earlier draft. They retain full responsibility for the contents of this paper.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bibile; S. (1976), ‘Tetracyclines in Sri Lanka’, The Prescriber (Dec.).
Bibile; S. (1977), Pharmaceutical Policies in Sri Lanka (Geneva: UNCTAD) TD/B/C.6/21.
Brooke, P. A. (1975), Resistant Prices: A Study of Competitive Strains in the Antibiotic Markets ( New York: Council on Economic Priorities).
Coleman, V. (1975), The Medicine Men ( London: Temple Smith).
Datey, K. K. (1975), ‘A doctor diagnoses dangers of brand abolition’,Eastern Economist (20 June) pp. 1298–301.
Evans, P. B. (1976), ‘Foreign investment and industrial transformation: a Brazilian case study’, Journal of Development Economics, pp. 119–39.
Haslemere Group (1976), Who Needs the Drug Companies?(London: Haslemere Group).
Hathi Committee (1975), Report of the Committee on Drugs and Pharmaceutical Industry ( New Delhi: Ministry of Petroleum and Chemicals).
Heller, T. (1977), Poor Health, Rich Profits: Multinational Drug Companies and the Third World ( London: Spokesman Books).
Klass, A. (1975), There’s Gold in Them Thar Pills (Harmondsworth: Penguin).
Lall, S. (1975), Major Issues in Transfer of Technology to Developing Countries:A Case Study of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Geneva: UNCTAD) TD/B/C.6/4.
Lall, S. (1978), The Growth of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Developing Countries: Problems and Prospects (UN Industrial Development Organisation, Vienna) ID/204.
Lall, S. and Streeten, P. P. (1977), Foreign Investment, Transnationals and Development Countries ( London: Macmillan).
Lang, R. W. (1974), The Politics of Drugs: A Comparative Study of the British and Canadian Pharmaceutical Industries, 1930–73 (London: Saxon House).
Ledogar, R. J. (1975), Hungry for Profits: The US Food and Drug Multinationalsin Latin America (New York: IDOC/North America).
Mahendra, M. (1976), ‘Resistance to tetracycline’, The Sri Lanka Practitioner, no. 37.
Measday, W. (1971), ‘The pharmaceutical industry’, in W. Adams (ed.), The Structure of American Industry ( New York: Macmillan ).
Möbius, K., Seusing, E. and Ahnefeld, A. (1976), Die Pharmazeutiche Industrie in der Bundesrepublik Deutchland ( Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr).
OTA (1974), Drug Bioequivalence —A Report of the OTA Bioequivalence Study Panel (Washington DC: Office of Technology Assessment, Government Printing Office).
Reekie, W. D. (1975), The Economics of the Pharmaceutical Industry ( London: Macmillan).
Rucker, T. D. (1973), ‘Economic aspects of drug overuse’, Medical Annals of the District of Columbia (Dec.) pp. 609–14.
Sainsbury Committee (1967), Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Relationship of the Pharmaceutical Industry with the NHS, 1965–67 ( London: HMSO ).
Segall, M. (1975), ‘Pharmaceuticals and health planning in developing countries’ (Univ. of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies, Communication 119 ).
Silverman, M. (1976), The Drugging of the Americas ( Berkeley: University of California Press).
Speight, N., ‘Cost effectiveness and drug therapy’, Tropical Doctor (Apr. 1975) pp. 89–92.
Wickremasinghe, S. A. and Bibile, S. (1971), The Management of Pharmaceuticals in Ceylon (Colombo: Industrial Development Board of Ceylon). Summary published in the British Medical Journal (1971) no. 3.
Copyright information
© 1980 Sanjaya Lall
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lall, S. (1980). The Political Economy of Controlling Transnationals: The Pharmaceutical Industry in Sri Lanka. In: The Multinational Corporation. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05228-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-05228-8_9
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-28170-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-05228-8
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)