E-DRUG: Zambia Compulsory License - statement by CPTech
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Copy of actual license:
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/c/zambia/zcl.html
Statement by James Love, Director, CPTech:
"The decision by the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry to issue a compulsory licenses for relevant patents on combinations of 3TC, d4T and Nevirapine will help AIDS patients by ensuring there are legal and sustainable mechanisms in place to obtain generic drugs. The royalty rate of 2.5 percent of the generic price mets the Zambia government's objective of bringing prices closer to manufacturing costs. The two page Zambia license should serve as a model for other developing countries facing an AIDS crisis. Least developed countries could also consider modifying patent laws to exclude pharmaceutical drugs under Paragraph 7 of the Doha Declaration on Health. But as long as the patent law covers medicines, generic drug firms will face liability if they do not obtain either voluntary or compulsory licenses. Zambia has provided a legal basis for obtaining generic drugs, under domestic patent laws, making it easier for investors in generic products and international donors to help Zambia patients."
jamie
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James Love | Consumer Project on Technology
http://www.cptech.org | mailto:james.love@cptech.org
P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 200036
voice +1.202.387.8030 | fax +1.202.234.5176