WTO meeting to extend poorest countries' exemption from drug patents due to expire on 1/1/16.

[pampango]

The World Trade Organization's intellectual property council begins a meeting today where countries could determine how to renew a waiver that allows the trade group's 34 least-developed countries to be exempt from drug patents. The waiver, which has existed since at least 2002, is due to expire at the start of 2016 and the poorer countries want it brought back with an unlimited length of time — or at least until their incomes rise to an acceptable level. The European Union, a key WTO member, supports that position.

But the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Switzerland and other countries think the waiver should be limited to a number of years, as it has been in the past.

http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-trade

Surprise. Surprise. The EU takes the liberal position that the poorest countries should be exempt from drug patents indefinitely while the US and others want a limit to the number of years.