Stakeholders in Pharmaceutical Policy Development

Abstract

Pharmaceutical policy development is a linear and step-wise process that moves from problem statement or agenda setting, to planning and analysis, to definitions and objectives, to policy formulation and statutory approval, to implementation and monitoring, to policy review and evaluation and finally to improvisation. In the process of developing and implementing such a policy framework several stakeholders including national and multi-national drug manufacturers, state and central governments (including all ministries like health, commerce, trade, industry), regulatory authorities, patients, doctors, pharmacists, pharmaceutical traders, insurance agencies, academia, professional associations, NGOs, civil society and consumer groups assume primary importance without whose active involvement the whole process would be inadequate and sometimes even inappropriate leaving huge gaps in their comprehensiveness, inclusiveness and acceptability. This chapter defines the role and describes the importance of these very stakeholders in the process of pharmaceutical policy development and implementation in any settings across the world.