Karen,
Thanks for sending this news item (Reuters 20 December).
That poor countries cannot afford the life-saving drugs made by companies
in the rich countries is yet another example of the inequities caused by
attempts by governments to regulate normal economic flows. It is the law of
copyright which is the particular culprit in this case. At one end of the
production continuum, the law of copyright and the vast expenses of
patenting and legal procedures operate against the individual innovator and
in favour of large companies; at the other end, the law of copyright
encourages monopolies (even if several other innovators had simultaneously
invented the same product -- as often happens) and thus operates against
the customer.
Keith
<<<<
U.S. BLOCKS CHEAP DRUGS AGREEMENT
Global pact to allow medicines for poor countries falters
The United States on Friday effectively blocked agreement on a global pact
to allow poor countries to buy cheap drugs to tackle epidemics such as
AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, diplomats said.
Envoys going into a late-night meeting at the World Trade Organization just
an hour before the deadline for an accord on the highly sensitive issue
said there would be no deal, but talks would probably be resumed in the New
Year. They said that after a day of negotiations and intensive
consultations with capitals to bend WTO patent rules, word had come from
Washington that it could not agree to a compromise text because it was “too
flexible.” The United States felt it could be interpreted as meaning drug
patents could be ignored on treatments for a wide range of diseases.
There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials in Geneva. But one
non-governmental organization campaigning for a deal accused major powers
of being driven by the interests of their pharmaceutical firms rather than
by humanitarian considerations. The group, Medecins sans Frontieres, said
that when talks resumed, the United States and others like Switzerland and
the European Union -- both of whom had accepted the draft -- should rethink
their positions. They must accept “a fair text that gives priority to
people’s health,” MSF declared.
The failure, which could seriously rebound on the current Doha Round of
overall free trade negotiations in the WTO, had been predicted earlier by
several diplomats. “I don’t see the Americans giving in,” said an Asian
envoy. “They are under too much political pressure in Congress.”
African diseases clause
Envoys from other regions said a suggestion that an accord could
specifically list only African diseases was not acceptable. “We are
developing countries too,” said a negotiator from a small Latin American
nation.
The outcome of the talks was likely to sour further the Doha Round
atmosphere, already tense over problems in agriculture, where WTO countries
have been officially described as “miles apart,” and over failure to reach
another agreement also by Friday on special treatment for poorer developing
states.
Poorer countries wanted the drug deal to allow them to order copies of
drugs developed by major pharmaceutical firms based in richer states from
manufacturers in countries like India, Thailand and Brazil. They saw an
agreement as a touchstone of the sincerity of assurances from the big
trading powers that they would emerge winners from the round.
Some diplomats from Africa, Asia and Latin America said that without a
drugs agreement, they would not agree to compromise on other issues in the
round whose success the big powers -- especially the United States -- see
as vital to boost global business.
An outline drugs accord was first approved at a WTO ministerial conference
in Doha, Qatar, 13 months ago, clearing the way for agreement to launch the
new round aimed at lowering barriers to trade in goods and services. But
since then, efforts in several meetings between the key players have failed
to hone down details into a pact pleasing all sides.
>>>>
© 2002 Reuters Limited
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