Bangladesh and other least developed countries would not need to pay royalty for producing patent drug till 2032, said officials.
The trading nations under the World Trade Organisation decided to extend the transition period of pharmaceuticals products for the LDCs.
The right to produce patent drug free by the LDCs was scheduled to expire by the end of this year.
“It’s a big achievement. We’ve not only extended the time for 17 years but also secured additional protection for the poor countries,” Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh ambassador to Geneva, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Bangladesh is the coordinator for the LDCs and led the negotiations with other countries in Geneva where the WTO headquarters is located.
“We insisted that it was important for the LDCs’ public health systems. We continued negotiations for more than six months at the delegation level to reach the conclusion,” said Ahsan, who is representing Bangladesh as the coordinator of the LDCs.
The delegation-level decisions will be submitted to TRIPS Council and General Council of WTO for approval.
“We expect to complete both the levels by the end of November,” he said. Ambassador said with the extension of time, the LDCs would enjoy the royalty exemption for the longest-ever period.
Under the new agreement, the poor countries get waiver from TRIPS Article 70.8 and 70.9.
The ambassadors of all the member countries and civil society members were supportive of the LDCs demand.
LDCs are the most vulnerable and poorest segment of the international community.
According to the United Nations, more than 70% of the LDC population lives on less than $2 per day and an estimated 252m people live with hunger.
World Bank data from 2014 reports that only 36% of least developed countries have access to improved sanitation facilities while 68% have access to improved drinking water source.
As of 2012, two thirds of people in LDCs lacked access to electricity.
In 2014, GNI per capita for LDCs was $915, compared to $55,200 of the United States.
In 2001, the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health, which exempted LDCs from pharmaceutical products patenting until January 1, 2016, had a hugely positive impact in improving access to affordable treatment.
The noncommunicable disease is another growing challenge for LDCs as its prevalence increases and treatments are simply unaffordable, especially as most of the medical expenses in LDCs are borne “outofpocket”.
