Patents and public health in the WTO, FTAS and beyond: Tension and conflict in international law

Abstract

By mandating patent protection for pharmaceutical products, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) creates difficulties for developing countries seeking to import medicines to deal with serious public health concerns. In 2001, WTO Members began working towards a solution to this problem. Their work led to a temporary waiver of certain TRIPS obligations and a proposal for a formal amendment of the TRIPS Agreement. However, the waiver remains underutilized and the amendment still lacks the necessary support of WTO Members for it to come into effect, suggesting that Members need to re-evaluate their commitme..