One of the key outcomes of the WTO ministerial meeting at Doha in November 2001 was an agreement to provide access by developing countries to medicines necessary to combat HIV-AIDS, malaria and other infectious diseases. Ireland, in common with other member states of the EU, has been very supportive of this initiative. It was possible to reach agreement at Doha that developing countries with a pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity could invoke a compulsory license to produce relevant medicines.
On the other hand, negotiations have been ongoing since then to address the situation of developing countries, which lack such a capacity. The solution envisaged is to allow generic copies of patented drugs to be exported to these countries. However, pharmaceutical companies are concerned about the bona fide implementation of this solution, including the potential for large-scale re-exportation of cheap drugs to developed countries. They also have concerns about the effects on investment in research for the production of new drugs to combat future diseases.
The EU has been to the fore in pressing for a satisfactory outcome to this. Ireland feels, as do our European partners, that the compromise text put forward in this regard by the Chairman of the WTO council on 16 December last, offers the best basis on which to broker a solution.
As I said, Ireland has worked consistently towards an acceptable solution and we will continue with our efforts in Geneva to secure an agreement before the next WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun in September next.