§ Tony WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to encourage increased access of developing countries to generic drugs. [16064]
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§ Clare ShortPoor people need better access to medicines at affordable prices. We are committed to working with industry and the international community to bring this about.
In many cases, increased access to generic drugs will be the most appropriate way to improve health outcomes. 90 per cent. of the drugs on the World Health Organisation's Essential Drug List are generics. Most tried and tested drugs for TB and malaria, for example, do not have patent protection and can be generically produced. We will continue to work for and encourage increased access to such medicines.
In other cases, essential medicines are covered by patent protection. Such protection is necessary in order to create incentives for research and development into future treatments. We fully support the Doha Ministerial declaration on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and public health and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s efforts to ensure the TRIPS agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of WTO members' rights to protect public health.
A key aim of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria—to which the UK has pledged US$200 million—will be to finance increased coverage of both patented and off-patent generic drugs and medicines.