Access to technology becomes the political issue and globalization imperative of the day--thanks to health threats

ARTICLE: “Ruling on right to medicines gets to the heart of American culture,” by Christopher Bowe, Financial Times, 17 May 2006, p. 4.

ANALYSIS: “Incubating a crisis: why the fight against bird flu could be won--or lost--in Indonesia,” by Andrew Jack, Financial Times, 17 May 2006, p. 11.

Interesting pair of articles. Recent ruling by U.S. appellate court says terminal patients have the right to access unapproved drugs. So the question is raised: if you grant them access to unapproved drugs by claiming constitutional protection, do you likewise grant them access to drugs that they would otherwise not afford?

And once that right gets established, does it go global, driven by the fear of pandemics?