September 2003 —
In April 2001, "Big Pharma" threw in the towel. Four years earlier, some 40 international drug companies had filed suit to block implementation of a law in South Africa that would allow the government to manufacture or import affordable generic versions of patented HIV/AIDS drugs.
Related Content
Research and Commentary
Ann Florini, The Brookings Institution, Spring 2003
Past Event
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
Research and Commentary
Jane Nelson, The Brookings Institution, August 2008
More Related Content »
The companies were attempting to protect their patent rights, and they argued that patent protection was necessary to provide the incentive to develop better drugs. They may have had a case under the terms of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), an agreement the industry had helped design.