PHA-Exchange> Why New TRIPS Amendment is a Bad Deal for Poor Countries

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

 from "Elizabeth B. Amailuk" <betty at haiafrica.org> -----

Why New TRIPS Amendment is a Bad Deal for Poor Countries
--------------------------------------------------------

Headlining this quarter's HAI Africa network newsletter is a
fact sheet about the recent World Trade Organization (WTO)
amendment to the TRIPS agreement. WTO member states last year
agreed to permanently adopt the "30 August 2003 Decision" as an
amendment to TRIPS. This Amendment outlines the circumstances
and procedures necessary for compulsory licensing in countries
that do not have the capacity for pharmaceutical production. Ac-
cess to medicines campaigners are denouncing the Amendment as an
extraordinarily bad deal for poor countries, but representatives
from the US, EU and pharmaceutical industry are, not surpris-
ingly, welcoming it.

This fact sheet gives an overview of the Amendment and why it is
controversial. It's available on the HAI Africa web site:
http://www.haiafrica.org



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