We have a drug problem.

While medicines help in treating individuals, the availability of those products is controlled by complex interactions between law, economics, policy, and medicine that extend beyond the individual. This course will serve as an introduction to the disparities in healthcare in the United States with comparisons to the systems in place around the world. Such a multidisciplinary approach will expand individuals’ perceptions of global health and emphasize the strong potential for fields other than medicine to impact global health.

This course will assess the affordability of essential medicines, emphasizing on the challenges intellectual property barriers place on allowing accessible drugs. The course will allow students to foster an understanding and enthusiasm for the complex issues that underlie access to medicines; a topic which is normally inaccessible to many undergraduates. The end goal of this course is to provide students with the tools and information to tackle the problem of drug inaccessibility themselves.

The course consists of weekly 90 minute sessions with weekly readings done beforehand that will be discussed during class. There will be a midterm paper halfway through the semester and a final project at the end of the semester.

**Note that the course name has changed to Access to Medicines**

To enroll, add the class on CalCentral using the course number 23467. There is no application necessary, and enrollment is first-come first-served.