CIPR 보고서에 대한 MSF 논평
‘특허법은 개발도상국 국민의 이해를 우선해야만 한다’라고 국제보고서는 말한다
국경없는 의사회는 각국 정부들이 CIPR의 권고사항에 따라 행동하라고 요구한다.
의약품에 대한 접근은 발전도상국에서 주요한 문제중 하나이다. 매일 많은 사람들이 안전하고 효과적이며 공급될 수 있는 의약품의 부족으로 고통받고 죽어가고 있다. 특허문제는 약가와 신약의 연구 및 개발을 자극한다는 양 측면에서 이러한 문제의 필수적인 부분이다. 이러한 주제가 2001.5월 영국 정부에 의해 설립된 CIPR에 의해 상세히 검토되었다.
국경없는 의사회는 특허와 건강이라는 주제에 대한 CIPR의 연구결과에 대해 환영한다. CIPR 보고서는 특허는 공공정책의 도구이고 보다 큰 공공선에 복무하여야 한다는 관점을 강력히 지지하고 있다. 이 보고서는 각 나라들의 이해와 발전수준에 따라 발전도상국들의 공공보건정책을 지지하는 특허시스템을 요청하고 있다.
CIPR은 실제적이고 행동지향적인 권고사항을 제시하고 있다. 이 보고서는 의약품특허의 종와 범위의 절대적 최저선을 좁히는 것을 고려하라고 요청하고 있으며 저개발국가에 있어서는 가능한한 의약품특허의 도입을 늦출 것을 요구한다.
국경없는 의사회는 발전도상국에서 약가를 낮출 수 있는 일반명상품(generic) 경쟁을 보장할 수 있는 방법에 대한 보고서의 권고사항을 강력히 지지한다. 일반명의약품 생산을 허용하는 강제특허를 실시할 수 있는 신속하고 쉽게 활용가능한 방법이 만들어지고 집행되어야만 한다. 이 보고서는 MSF와 다른 단체들의 주장 즉, 강제특허(compulsory license)는 예외가 아니라 특허시스템이 경쟁적인 의약품시장의 발전을 방해하지 못하도록 보장
하는 규칙이 되어야만 한다는 주장을 지지하고 있다.
해결되어야 할 중요한 주제중 하나는 강제특허를 발동하였으나 생산능력이 없는 나라에 대한 특허가 인정되고 있는 나라에서 수출을 위한 생산을 어떻게 보장할 것인가의 문제이다. CIPR은 신속하고 집행이 용이하며 긴 기간의 안정성을 보장하고 경제적으로 활력적인 해결책을 제시한다. 이 원칙들은 의약품을 필요로 하는 나라들에 이를 수출하도록 의약품을 생산하는 인도나 브라질과 같은 나라들을 지속적으로 허용하는 ’30 예외 조항’을 지지한다.
이 주제는 다음주에 제네바에서 열릴 STO TRIPs에서 논의될 예정이다. TRIPs 위원회는 이 보고서의 권고사항을 무시할 수 없다. MSF가 지적하였듯이, 그리고 CIPR 보고서가 제안하였듯이 최선의 해결책은 30예외조항을 채택하는 것이다.
(후략)
Patent laws must put needs of people in developing countries first, says international report.
MSF calls on governments to act upon recommendations of the Commission for Intellectual Rights.
Access to medicines is a major problem in the developing world. Every day people continue to suffer and die because of lack of access to safe, effective and affordable medicines. Patents are an essential part of this, both in the way they affect drug prices and the extent to which they stimulate the research and development of new drugs. This issue has been examined in detail by the Commission for Intellectual Property Rights(CIPR), established by the UK-Government in May 2001 [www.iprcommission.org].
MEdecins Sans FrontiEres welcomes the findings of the CIPR on the issues of patents and health. The CIPR report strongly advocates the view that patents are tools of public policy and must operate to serve the greater public good. It calls for patent systems that support the public health policies of developing countries, according to the needs and level of development of each country.
The CIPR makes practical and action-orientated recommendations. The report calls for all developing countries to consider narrowing to a absolute minimum the type and scope of pharmaceutical patents, and for least-developing countries to consider delaying the granting of pharmaceutical patents for as long as possible.
MSF strongly endorses the report’s call for measures to ensure generic competition to bring drug prices down in developing countries. Quick and easy-to-use mechanisms should be designed and implemented for the granting of compulsory licences to allow generic production. This report supports what MSF and others have been advocating: that compulsory licences should not be an exception but should become the rule to ensure that the patent system does not hamper the development of a competitive pharmaceutical market.
An important issue that needs to be resolved is how to ensure that production for export to a country that has issued a compulsory license, but does not have manufacturing capacity, can take place in another country when patents are have been granted. The CIPR calls for a solution that is quick and easy to implement, gives long term security and is economically viable. These principles endorse ‘an Article 30 exception’ that would continue to allow countries like India or Brazil that manufacture medicines to export them to those that need them.
This issue will be discussed at the WTO TRIPS Council meeting in Geneva next week. The TRIPS Council cannot ignore the recommendations of this report. As MSF has pointed out, and as the findings of the CIPR suggest, the best solution is to adopt an Article 30 exception.
The pharmaceutical industry argues that future drug research and development depends on intellectual property protection. The CIPR makes clear the fact that the patent system is failing to stimulate innovation to meet many medical needs. Analysis by MSF shows that drug research is largely driven by profit prospects, not health needs. We are getting more and more drugs of less and less use, while many killer diseases like TB, malaria, and sleeping sickness are ignored because they only affect poor people. 68% of new drugs represent little or no therapeutic advance; and less than 1% of new drugs are developed for tropical diseases that represent over 10% of the global disease burden. We strongly endorse the reportsi call for greater public sector responsibility to address a health needs based research agenda and to ensure R&D into neglected diseases.
The Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health adopted by the WTO last November was the beginning of a process to change the way intellectual property is dealt with in the world. This process must continue. Governments, both nationally and through international institutions, need to ensure that public interest and in particular health needs determine the patent policies that are crafted.
Health and pharmaceutical policies must not be curtailed by the patent system. This will require institutional changes. For example, the report calls for a change in the attitude of organisations such as The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) that have so far given advice to developing countries based almost exclusively on the supposed gains to be made from having a patent system, rather than the dangers.
This report is a further recognition of the need for greater action and support to help developing countries put health first. No government can ignore its recommendations.
For more information contact:
Ellen ‘t Hoen, MSF, Paris: 0033 1 40 21 28 36
Nathan Ford, MSF, London: 00 (44) 207 404 4466
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Ellen ‘t Hoen, LL.M.
MSF- Access to Essential Medicines Campaign
8, rue Saint-Sabin, 75544 Paris Cedex 11
tel: + 33 (0) 1 40212836
fax: + 33 (0) 1 48066868
e-mail: ellen.t.hoen@paris.msf.org
Web-site: www.accessmed-msf.org