WTO Rules / TRIPS and access to medicines

[Guest guest]

Hello All

I hope no-one will be offended if I post this message about an issue which

is not specifically translation-related but may be of interest to

colleagues - in Brazil in particular, where the government's HIV/AIDS

programme has been under threat from the TRIPS provisions.

The World Trade Organisation is due to meet in Doha in early November

(unless it is cancelled in the aftermath of the terrible business in New

York) and the delegates are due to discuss proposed reforms to the

Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

aimed at reinforcing the provisions that allow poorer countries exemption

from the enhanced patent rights granted to pharmaceutical companies under

TRIPS.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the case for amending the

WTO rules in order to ensure that victims of epidemic diseases in the

developing world have access to affordable medication Oxfam's " Cut the Cost

of Medicines " campaign website has downloadable reports and other

information available at

www.oxfam.org.uk/cutthecost

(or you can contact Anni Long at <along@...).

The campaign is being conducted jointly with Medecins Sans Frontieres and

Voluntary Service Overseas.

All the best

Owen

Owen Beith

Freelance Translator ES/FR/PT->EN

London E2 9JG

+44 (0)20 8981 9879