Published 21 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4328
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4328

News

European Union criticised for health policies towards developing countries

Rory Watson

1 Brussels

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The European Union has been accused this week of applying double standards, by trying to reduce the price of generic drugs within its own borders while preventing developing countries from enjoying the same benefits.

The criticism is contained in a report published by Oxfam and Health Action International Europe on 20 October. The two organisations maintain that the EU is insisting on tough new intellectual property rights for the benefit of drug companies in the bilateral free trade agreements that it is negotiating with developing countries.

This, they say, will lead to higher prices for drugs. Citing an accord between the EU and Colombia, the report maintains that by 2030 extensions to terms of patents could result in a rise of nearly $280m (£170m; {euro}190m) in spending on drugs.

The EU’s critics say that this is in sharp contrast to developments in Europe itself, where the commission is investigating the . . . [Full text of this article]


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