segunda-feira, novembro 20, 2006
Doha - TRIPS falhou
Aidsmap 14.11.06
2001 Doha trade agreement failing to improve access to medicines, Oxfam says
ublic health exemptions from world trade agreements negotiated five years ago have had no significant impact on improving access to medicines in developing countries, Oxfam said today in a report Patents versus Patients.
Oxfam argues that since 2001, no country has been able to take full advantage of the public health safeguards built into international agreements on patents. The Doha agreement in November 2001 reaffirmed that intellectual property rules contained in the TRIPS agreement should not prevent countries from protecting public health, and in August 2003 the World Trade Organization agreed that generic manufacturers could export essential medicines if compulsory or voluntary licenses were issued by countries without the capacity to make the drugs themselves.
But since then, says Oxfam, the US government has pursued trade agreements with countries and regions that undermine the public health flexibilities, and sought even higher levels of intellectual property protection than required in the TRIPS agreements – so-called TRIPS Plus provisions.
(...)
2001 Doha trade agreement failing to improve access to medicines, Oxfam says
ublic health exemptions from world trade agreements negotiated five years ago have had no significant impact on improving access to medicines in developing countries, Oxfam said today in a report Patents versus Patients.
Oxfam argues that since 2001, no country has been able to take full advantage of the public health safeguards built into international agreements on patents. The Doha agreement in November 2001 reaffirmed that intellectual property rules contained in the TRIPS agreement should not prevent countries from protecting public health, and in August 2003 the World Trade Organization agreed that generic manufacturers could export essential medicines if compulsory or voluntary licenses were issued by countries without the capacity to make the drugs themselves.
But since then, says Oxfam, the US government has pursued trade agreements with countries and regions that undermine the public health flexibilities, and sought even higher levels of intellectual property protection than required in the TRIPS agreements – so-called TRIPS Plus provisions.
(...)
