PHA-Exchange> Roche Will Not Enforce Patents on Antiretroviral Drugs in "Least-Developed" Countries

[Claudio]

From: "Vern Weitzel" <vern.weitzel at undp.org>

> Pharmaceutical company Roche on Wednesday announced it
> will no longer file patents for antiretroviral drugs
> and drugs to treat other diseases or enforce existing
> patents on those drugs in countries that the United
> Nations has designated as "least developed," Dow Jones
> News reports (Dow Jones News, 3/31). In addition,
> Roche said it will not file patent applications for
> any new antiretroviral drugs in sub-Saharan Africa and
> will not take legal action against generic drug
> manufacturers in the region that produce versions of
> drugs for which Roche owns the patent, according to a
> Roche release. Roche also said it has adopted a
> not-for-profit approach to selling its protease
> inhibitors in least-developed countries. According to
> the release, Roche said that such moves "underscore[e]
> its belief that long-term success requires businesses
> to operate in ways that are not only economically, but
> also socially and environmentally sustainable"