15 March 2004
TRIPS COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH, KNOWLEDGE
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Access to medicines, public health, traditional knowledge and biological diversity were on the agenda at a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – or TRIPS Council.

The Council, which met on 8 March in Geneva, discussed the issue of text on generic medicines in the TRIPS […]

Access to medicines, public health, traditional knowledge and biological diversity were on the agenda at a recent meeting of the World Trade Organization’s Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – or TRIPS Council.

The Council, which met on 8 March in Geneva, discussed the issue of text on generic medicines in the TRIPS Agreement, although without reaching consensus. Under the terms of a deal reached in August 2003, diplomats must agree by June on text covering the importation of generic medications where the original drug is still under patent. Informal consultations have been taking place over the last few months.
Meanwhile, delegates also considered an initiative by a group of developing countries to pick up the pace on discussions about possible inconsistencies between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The countries involved introduced a checklist of issues that required further focus, including prior informed consent and benefit sharing in relation to genetic material and traditional knowledge. However, the United States reportedly opposed the checklist, arguing that there were no conflicts between the two agreements. Japan and the US said the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was the appropriate forum for such discussions. With developing countries seeking to pursue the matter in the TRIPS Council, the issue remained unresolved. More information on this meeting is available from ICTSD Bridges Weekly Trade News: http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/04-03-10/story1.htm


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