摘 要: | While the health crisis in developing world has caused innumerable deaths, the balance between patent protection and public health attracts lots of debates globally. This paper examines the legal background for the access problems of essential drugs in developing countries, evaluates TRIPS agreement and the WTO decisions in theory, argues both patent protection for pharmaceuticals and TRIPS agreement are the genuine causes for the access problem, then attempts to provide some suggestions and evaluations for the possible solutions. Though the development of national pharmaceutical industries, adoption of early working exemptions, compulsory license, parallel import, acquirements of generic drugs and discount drugs, amendments of TRIPS agreement are all beneficial measures, the access problem may only be solved at an international level.
|