Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Associated Press - Wednesday, October 30, 2002
Under the proposed system, manufacturers will be able to register medicines with the EU for sale at cheap prices in developing nations.
Drugs shipped at the lower prices will be given a logo identifying them as banned for resale inside the EU.
The European Commission said it hoped its proposal would be approved by the 15 EU governments before the end of the year.
"Vaccines and contraceptives have long been available at affordable prices, now developed countries need to make an effort with other medicines," said EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.
The EU listed 72 poor nations able to benefit from the proposed system, most of them in Africa and Asia.
Lamy said he hoped other rich countries would take similar action, and the Commission said the EU would raise the issue with the United States, Canada and Japan.
In a statement, the EU said the proposal would tackle the problem of reimported drugs which risked undermining plans to sell drugs more cheaply to the poor.
If the system works, the EU said it may expand it to include medicines for treating other diseases and consider adding more countries to the list.
Pharmaceutical companies will be free to decide if they want to participate in the project.
"We cannot make manufacturers reduce their prices," the Commission said in a statement.
"But if the industry is encouraged to see the benefits of expanding their markets via the listing procedure, this will lead to manufacturers making use of it and increasing deliveries."
The measure would cover generic and patented products and would not interfere with intellectual property rights on the drugs, the Commission added.
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