[e-drug] First notification under Para 6 of the TRIPs Public Health Amendment

["Tim Wilson" <twilson@ipa.org.au>]

E-DRUG: First notification under Para 6 of the TRIPs Public Health Amendment
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The first notification under Paragraph 6 of the TRIPS and Public Health Amendment was received this week and will be made available on the WTO website. The notification was made by Rwanda to import 3 ARVs from Canada. Details here:

http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news07_e/public_health_july07_e.htm

20 July 2007
TRIPS AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Patents and health: WTO receives first notification under ‘paragraph 6’ system

Rwanda on 19 July 2007 became the first country to inform the WTO that it is using the 30 August 2003 decision designed to ease the way for countries with public health problems to import cheaper generics made under compulsory licensing elsewhere when they are unable to manufacture the medicines themselves (often referred to as the “paragraph 6 system”, i.e. implementing paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health).
  
The notification comes under paragraph 2(a) of the 30 August 2003 General Council decision, which requires eligible importing countries to report the details of the medicines they intend to import. 

As a least-developed country, Rwanda does not have to notify that it wants to be an “eligible importing member” under paragraph 1(b) of the 2003 decision (and 2005 amendment decision).


Cheers, 

Tim Wilson
Research Fellow
Institute of Public Affairs
twilson@ipa.org.au