HC Deb 16 June 2003 vol 407 cc64-5W
Mr. Caton

To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact on African development of the United States' decision not to relax the rules on pharmaceutical patents; and what discussions he has had with President Bush on this matter. [119193]

The Prime Minister

The issue of how WTO Members with insufficient manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector can make effective use of the compulsory licensing provisions of the WTO TRIPS Agreement is still under discussion. We hope to see an effective solution agreed by the next WTO ministerial in Cancun in September.

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