Health News
2005-12-21
U.S. formally
allows poor countries to import generic anti-HIV drugs
The United States
has formally accepted an amendment to the World Trade
Organization’s agreement on Tr
The United States
has formally accepted an amendment to the World Trade
Organization’s agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) that allows
developing countries to import generic versions of
patented anti-HIV medications, ending years of U.S.
opposition to such imports. The amendment allows countries
without the capacity for making such generic drugs to
import them from countries that can manufacture them.
Two thirds of the WTO members must approve the
amendment before December 1, 2007, for it to become a
permanent part of the TRIPS agreement. U.S. trade
representative Rob Portman says the United States was
the first country to formally approve it. "Our
acceptance of this amendment is an important step in the
global effort in providing the best access to
lifesaving drugs,” Portman told London's AFX
News. (Advocate.com)
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