WTO Members OK amendment to make health flexibility permanent

WTO members on 6 December 2005 approved changes to the intellectual property agreement making permanent a decision on patents and public health originally adopted in 2003. That waiver made it easier for poorer countries to obtain cheaper generic versions of patented medicines by setting aside a provision of the TRIPS Agreement that could hinder exports of pharmaceuticals manufactured under compulsory licences to countries that are unable to produce them. This provision will now be formally built into the TRIPS Agreement when two thirds of the WTO’s members have ratified the change. The members have set themselves until 1 December 2007 to do this. The waiver remains in force until then. The webpage links to a:

> Press release;
> Text of the decision (Draft text — final versions are unchanged and will be available soon)
> Chair's statement and Corrigendum.