Agence France Presse
GENEVA The director-general of the World Health Organisation on Friday urged ministers at the WTO's conference in Doha to produce a clear final declaration which ensures that poor countries have access to affordable life-saving medicines.
"The stakes are high: the lives and well-being of millions will be affected as a result of World Trade Organisation (WTO) members reconciling their divergent views and positions, and formulating an agreed Ministerial declaration on the issues surrounding intellectual property and public health/access to medicines," WHO director-general Gro Harlem Brundtland said.
In a written statement issued for the opening of the WTO meeting, Brundtland noted that it was the first time in the 50 year history of the multilateral trading system that a separate ministerial declaration was being considered on the issue of patent rights and health issues. "The Doha ministerial conference is providing a historic opportunity for World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to ensure that the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) does not stand in the way of access to life-saving medicines, especially in poorest countries," Brundtland said.
The issue is regarded as a potential stumbling block for the ministers from 142 countries.
Developing countries seeking a looser interpretation of the WTO's TRIPS agreement on patent rights to allow them to provide cheaper medicines for health crises, while some major industrialised countries including the US do not want to weaken the agreement.
Brundtland acknowledged that there was some flexibility in the TRIPS agreement, but she welcomed efforts to reach a "common understanding" on safeguards and the degree of flexibility that it allows.
"Clarity on this flexibility would allow WTO members to formulate public health policies in ways that do not infringe on the rights of patent holders," Brundtland said.
She added that it would also allow countries "to have the sense of security and legal certainty in utilising the TRIPS flexibility".
Brundtland backed the need for patent protection as an incentive for research on diseases that drive poverty, but added: "The issue of patent protection for pharmaceutical products is an area where a fine balance needs to be struck between providing incentives for future inventions of new medicines and ensuring affordable access to existing medicines."
About one third of the world's population lacks access for medicines essential for their health according to WHO, mainly because they cannot afford them.
"WTO recognises that this access to drugs depends on wise selection and use of medicines; sustainable and adequate financing; affordable prices; and reliable health and supply systems," Brundtland said.:
