LSE Professor Ken Shadlen shares research on pharmaceutical policy during Argentina visit

Professor Ken Shadlen visited Argentina in April to advance research on pharmaceutical patents and the political economy of “generic” medicines markets. During his trip, Professor Shadlen presented findings from two ongoing research projects at universities in Buenos Aires.

The first seminar, hosted on Wednesday 22 April at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Political Economy (IIEP, University of Buenos Aires), The Political Economy of Pharmaceutical Patent Examination: The Case of Argentina, analysed arrangements introduced in 2012 (and repealed earlier this year) to minimize the grant of “secondary” pharmaceutical patents, presenting data on the arrangements’ effectiveness, the political economy conditions that allowed them to work, and the factors that contributed both to their stability for 14 years and recent termination.

The second seminar, delivered on Monday 27 April at the Center for Research on Transformations (CENIT, National University of San Martín), “Contesting Commodification,” examined the dynamics of “generic” medicines markets in Latin America. Shadlen presented a definition of “generics” that is useful for comparative analysis, dimensions of variation, and the political conflicts that accompany variation along these dimensions. Drawing on the cases of Argentina and Brazil, Shadlen emphasised that such markets do not emerge spontaneously, but rather must be built through state intervention, which in turn is shaped by political conflict.

The visit forms part of Professor Shadlen’s broader research agenda on the intersection of intellectual property, public policy, and access to medicines in middle-income countries. His work continues to contribute to global debates on how governments can balance innovation incentives with equitable healthcare access.

Image credits: Noticias UNSAM