US move allowing access to cheaper AIDS drugs Developing countries are not exactly queuing up at the US Trade Department to take advantage of flexible patent regulations allowing them to access cheaper AIDS drugs. The reason may be due to mixed signals coming out of Washington, says Gumisai Mutume. The United States had even threatened to take South Africa to the WTO over legislation that would have violated US patents but which at the same time would have strengthened the hand of that government to provide cheaper AIDS drugs to its people.
Rules can be trade barriers in disguise.
The pharmaceutical industry says for every 15,000 chemical and molecular compounds it investigates, only three become suitable for human use and one becomes a profitable medicine. On average, this process takes 12 years. It offers a lifeline to sub-Saharan African nations. The flexibility has raised concerns in the US pharmaceutical industry that the order will essentially permit unauthorised copying of its products. However, the move has been seen as an attempt to dilute attempts by African nations to resort to parallel importing and compulsory licensing.