More measures needed on access to medicines says EP resolution

According to the resolution adopted today by the House, more needs to be done to allow developing countries and LDCs to access to medicines. The EP asks the Council to support the developing countries which use the flexibilities enshrined in the TRIPS Agreement. The Commission and the Member States should provide financial support for local production of pharmaceuticals in developing countries.

On Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), MEPS want to restrict the mandate of the Commission "in order not to negotiate pharmaceutical-related TRIPS-plus" affecting public health and access to medicines.

The resolution asks the Commission and the Member States to provide financial support for pharmaceutical-related transfer of technology and capacity building and local production of pharmaceuticals in developing countries, especially in LDCs. The House also asks the Commission to grant funding for R&D on poverty-related, tropical and neglected diseases.

The EP asks the Council to support the developing countries which use the so-called flexibilities built into the TRIPS Agreement and recognized by the Doha Declaration.

The resolution calls on the Council to adopt a Joint Policy Statement with the European Parliament to the effect that EU Member States remain free to use all exception provisions of the TRIPS Agreement under their domestic patent laws to authorise production and export ‘to address public health needs in importing Members’ and asks the Council to mandate the Commission to refrain from taking action to interfere with these proceedings.

Restricted Commission's mandate on EPAs

The resolution calls on the Council to restrict the mandate to the Commission in order not to negotiate pharmaceutical-related TRIPS-plus provisions affecting public health and access to medicines, such as data exclusivity, patent extensions and limitation of grounds of compulsory licenses, in the framework of the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreements with the ACP countries and other future bilateral and regional agreements with developing countries.