Apparently none of this was newsworthy for the major U.S. media. But the media did find that disruptions of Gore's speeches merited coverage, and so the vice president's staff quickly moved to make the protests stop. They also picked Gore because they recognized that he was vulnerable to negative publicity. The result of the activist campaign was an announcement by the U.S. Trade Representative and the South African government that the U.S. government would cease pressuring South Africa on the issues of compulsory licensing and parallel imports. Compulsory licensing enables a government to authorize generic production of a drug while it is still on patent, with royalties paid to the patent holder.
Parallel imports involves importing drugs which sell more cheaply at retail in another country.
Parallel importing can help poorer countries benefit from lower prices for drugs in certain European countries, Canada, and a few other countries around the world that have set limits on drug prices. Through its Medicines Act, South Africa has sought to make use of these two tools. With as many as one in six South African adults diagnosed HIV positive, AIDS drugs are a top candidate for compulsory licensing and parallel imports. The U.S. agreement applies only to South Africa. It still remains for the U.S. government to declare that other nations can employ compulsory licensing and parallel imports without fear of repercussions.