3.13 Medicines for developing countries is a complex problem
The supply of medicines to developing countries to combat the many serious diseases prevalent there demands special provisions.
The pharmaceutical industry carries a share of the joint responsibility to develop effective medicines to combat such diseases, and also shares the duty to cooperate in financial initiatives to combat acute and epidemic-like diseases in those countries.
Situations can arise in connection with combating serious diseases in developing countries that demand exceptional action. Lif recognises that in such situations the pharmaceutical industry too has a duty to play a part.
Lif believes:
- that if the pharmaceutical industry is to be able to contribute to solving the problem of the supply of medicines to developing countries, it is a prerequisite that there exist the necessary incentives for investment in the development of drugs to treat diseases specific to those countries – that is to say, effective protection of patents, trademarks and other industrial property as well as a tight control of reimport,
- that the pharmaceutical industry nationally and internationally shares in the responsibility to assist in solving the supply problems, and
- that the rules laid down in the WTO TRIPS agreement should be respected and complied with by all participant countries, and the agreed timetable for the implementation of the agreed provisions in developing countries should be maintained.
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