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Kanaga Raja, Third World Network, Link

The current model of medical innovation is ill-equipped to respond to the increasing emergence of infectious diseases amongst others, South Africa has underscored, in calling on WTO members to share their experiences of how TRIPS flexibilities have been used to address high prices and barriers on access to medical technologies and medicines.

This call came in a communication (IP/C/W/659) from South Africa, circulated to WTO members on 4 October, and is set to be discussed at a meeting of the WTO TRIPS Council next week.

In its submission to the TRIPS Council, South Africa argued that the current model of medical innovation is ill-equipped to respond to the increasing emergence of infectious diseases, the unprecedented explosion of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and neglected tropical diseases.

Developing and least developed countries (increasingly developed countries raise similar concerns), affected by inadequate funding for R&D and access to health technologies and medicines, continue to struggle to ensure access to affordable medicine for their citizens, the submission points out.

In this context, South Africa called on WTO Members to share their experiences of how TRIPS flexibilities have been used to address high prices and barriers to access to medical technologies and medicines in order to achieve public health and related national objectives.

In this context, South Africa called on WTO Members to share their experiences of how TRIPS flexibilities have been used to address high prices and barriers to access to medical technologies and medicines in order to achieve public health and related national objectives.

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