Preventing substandard, spurious medicines and protecting access to generic medicines in Africa |
Recent developments at national and international levels with regards to anti-counterfeiting legislation and actions have raised debate about such laws not undermining TRIPS flexibilities and access affordable generic drugs. At the same time, countries importing medicines seek measures to protect against substandard imports. The 2011 World Health Assembly resolved that a working group review WHO policy on counterfeit, falsified and substandard medicines, and its relationship with IMPACT. This policy brief addresses definitions of counterfeit, substandard and generic medicines, as fundamental to progress in such review. It points to the separate measures and mandates needed to combat firstly fraudulent trade mark and intellectual property (IP) infringement in counterfeit medicines by IP authorities, secondly to ensure that any anti-counterfeit measures protect TRIPS flexibilities, including for access to generic medicines; and thirdly to ensure that national drug regulatory authorities ensure that substandard medicines do not compromise health. [ Download pdf]
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits |
The sharing by countries of influenza virus samples is important for vaccine development, and for understanding how viruses are mutating. Developing countries have thus freely provided samples to the World Health Organisation. But when private pharmaceutical companies use the samples to develop and patent vaccines which the same developing countries cannot afford, this is unjust and exposes thousands of people in developing countries to preventable deaths. This policy brief outlines the opportunities that African countries have to negotiate for equitable benefit sharing in the use of viral resources, through international treaties. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources provide for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of biological resources. The brief provides information on their enabling clauses and outlines the options that African countries may consider in their negotiations for an equitable system. [ Download pdf]
Impact of Economic Partnership Agreements on livelihoodsin Southern Africa; sigar, grapes and cotton |
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that are being negotiated by the African,
Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on one hand and the European Union on the
other are essentially Free Trade Areas covering trade in goods, services, trade related
areas and other non trade issues. This report looks into the effects EPAs will have on
the countries in Southern Africa, focussing on the effects on the production and value
chain of three products; sugar, grapes and cotton.. [ Download pdf] |
