Pharmaceutical TRIPS waiver must be extended for LDC
WTO is going to introduce the pharmaceutical patent protection under Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement in January 2016. It means the pledged special waiver on TRIPS for LDC (Least Developed Countries), including Bangladesh, expires by 31st December 2015.
TRIPS is a binding agreement for all WTO members and it aims to establish a strong minimum standards for intellectual property rights (IPR) including patent protection for pharmaceuticals. Developing
and Least Developed Countries have been expressing their concern on this strong patent protection as it will not only be harmful for the development of their pharmaceutical industries, it will also under-mine the entire public health service to be affordable to poor.
Taking the concern into account, the WTO Ministerial Conference, in Doha on 14 November 2001 further extended the transitional period for LDC to introduce pharmaceutical patent protection until January 2016.
Download the document [ EquityBD Briefing Paper_TRIPS Waiver] as pdf
