Pharmaceutical industry and trade liberalization using computable general equilibrium model

BACKGROUND

Computable general equilibrium models are known as a powerful instrument in economic analyses and widely have been used in order to evaluate trade liberalization effects. The purpose of this study was to provide the impacts of trade openness on pharmaceutical industry using CGE model.

METHODS

Using a computable general equilibrium model in this study, the effects of decrease in tariffs as a symbol of trade liberalization on key variables of Iranian pharmaceutical products were studied. Simulation was performed via two scenarios in this study. The first scenario was the effect of decrease in tariffs of pharmaceutical products as 10, 30, 50, and 100 on key drug variables, and the second was the effect of decrease in other sectors except pharmaceutical products on vital and economic variables of pharmaceutical products. The required data were obtained and the model parameters were calibrated according to the social accounting matrix of Iran in 2006.

RESULTS

The results associated with simulation demonstrated that the first scenario has increased import, export, drug supply to markets and household consumption, while import, export, supply of product to market, and household consumption of pharmaceutical products would averagely decrease in the second scenario. Ultimately, society welfare would improve in all scenarios.

CONCLUSION

We presents and synthesizes the CGE model which could be used to analyze trade liberalization policy issue in developing countries (like Iran), and thus provides information that policymakers can use to improve the pharmacy economics.

["Aggressive" angiomyxoma of the vagina. A case report and review of the literature]

Aggressive angiomyxomas are rare soft tissue tumours. They are mainly found females. Steeper and Rosai described these tumors for the first time in 1983. The diagnosis and the treatment are difficult. The recurrence is frequent. The authors report a case of aggressive angiomyxoma of the vagina and the pelvis, diagnosed in a 34-old-woman. They discuss clinical symptoms and different signs allowing the diagnosis. Therapeutic management is also discussed.

[Sacrococcygeal teratomas. Apropos of a case of teratoma weighing 4200 g]

We report a clinical case of a large sacro-coccygeal teratoma diagnosed antenatally by ultra-sound at 35 weeks gestation. A review of the literature shows that their outcome depends upon the size of the tumor, its degree of maturity, whether its location is pelvic or not, the presence of any associated malformations, prematurity, atraumatic delivery and upon prompt and complete removal of the tumor.