PRNewswire - November 14, 2001

The WTO Declaration explicitly states that "intellectual property protection is important for the development of new medicines" and member countries made an unequivocal point of "reiterating our commitment to the TRIPS Agreement." Furthermore, the WTO members agreed to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic while "maintaining our commitments in the TRIPS Agreement."

"The Declaration recognizes that TRIPS and patents are part of the solution to better public health, not a barrier to access," explained Alan F. Holmer, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "Without altering the existing rights and obligations under TRIPS, the declaration provides assurances that countries may take all measures consistent with the Agreement to protect the health of their citizens."

The pharmaceutical industry continues its unwavering commitment to help improve access to medicines in the poorest countries through many partnerships with UN agencies, governments, other private-sector companies, and non- governmental organizations. Partnership initiatives amounted to almost $2 billion from 1998-2001. Pharmaceutical companies provide important medicines for free or at low cost for patients in need throughout the developing world.

"With this reaffirmation of the TRIPS Agreement, we hope member countries will now focus on and address the real barriers to access to medicines in developing countries: poverty, too few trained doctors and adequately equipped facilities, high tariffs on medicines in many developing countries, the need for more developed country support, political will in developing and developed countries alike," Holmer continued. "Only progress on these issues will ultimately ensure long-term, sustainable progress toward better health care in the least developed and developing countries."

As global leaders in the discovery and development of vaccines and new medicines, PhRMA member companies are committed to continued and intensified R&D focused on infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, the improvement of public health, and access to our medicines for all patients who need them. For example, the pharmaceutical industry today has 98 medicines in development for HIV/AIDS, including 14 vaccines.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. Investing more than $30 billion in 2001 in discovering and developing new medicines, PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures.

PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org

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