Assessing Intra-Regional Pharmaceutical Policies in UNASUR and the EU based on the WHO Universal Access to Medicines Framework

This working paper assesses the effectiveness of the implementation of pharmaceutical policies undertaken by two regional organisations - UNASUR and the EU - under the universal access to medicines framework generated by the WHO, by looking at the conditions of willingness, acceptance and capacity of these regional organisations. Results show that engagement in international forums is encouraging positive outcomes in the formulation of regional pharmaceutical policies for improving access to medicines based on the globally-accepted frameworks. Moreover, regional organisations have turned out to be the most effective space for the promotion and implementation of such national pharmaceutical policies, as these are prone to be accepted with less opposition in each nation when a regional organisation backs them up.