Bangkok Post - Saturday, November 16, 2002
Charoen Kittikanya û Sydney, Aphaluck Bhatiasevi - Bangkok

But an Aids activist in Bangkok shrugged off the agreement, calling it a "publicity stunt".

At a World Trade Organisation mini-summit, the trade ministers agreed to press for changes to the agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (Trips), so as to allow poor countries to license production of certain medicines without patent owners' prior approval, especially Aids drugs.

Other issues to be resolved this month include the implementation of special and differential treatment for developing countries, and steps towards farm-trade liberalisation including a reduction of subsidies.

Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharamik said the meeting agreed developing countries should be allowed access to cheap medicines while the Trips agreement amendment is under way.

The sentiment at the meeting was very friendly, he said, as all countries including the United States and those in Europe, particularly Switzerland, the major base for drug-patent owners, had agreed to work towards an agreement by the yearend.

"This meeting has produced a satisfactory outcome and provided a good political signal for further multilateral negotiations," he said. "This will make it easier for ambassadors to the WTO to handle trade negotiations."

However, rich countries wanted talks to decide which countries and which diseases would be covered by cheaper drugs. They wanted the amendment to cover only epidemic and infectious diseases such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, and baulked at allowing cheaper drugs for treatment of cancer and diabetes.

Mr Adisai said some of them were insisting on safeguards to protect their markets for drugs, demanding an export ban on drugs made under compulsory licensing in poor countries in case of competition with their existing markets.

The definition of "developing countries"eligible for cheaper drugs was also debated, with suggestions that rich developing countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong be excluded.

Trade officials said the WTO must give top priority to resolving the issue by the deadline of Dec 31.

In Bangkok, aids activist Nimit Thienudom said the WTO' agreement on moral obligation seemed more like a publicity stunt than a commitment to guarantee access to drugs.

He urged the meeting to instead focus on amending the patent law and on lifting limitations on access to drugs.

They should talk about amending the patent law and follow up on agreements reached at the Doha conference, because an agreement based on moral obligation would not guarantee long-term access.

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