Canada Is First To Grant WTO Compulsory Licence For Export Of Generic Drug

In October, Canada became the first country to issue a compulsory licence to the generic drug manufacturer Apotex to produce and export a patented medicine for the AIDS antiviral drug TriAvir to a developing country pursuant to a plan negotiated under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

WTO Doha Declaration and Subsequent Negotiations

On November 14, 2001, at the conclusion of the WTO's Ministerial Conference at Doha, the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (Doha Declaration) was issued in an effort to address the difficulties faced by developing and least-developed countries in accessing patented medicines for public health problems through WTO member compulsory licensing,