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Impasse over launch of new WTO round can be overcome: US official

The United States on Saturday admitted that the launch of a new round at the WTO (World Trade Organization) ministerial meeting at Doha has run into rough weather in the face of strong objections by India, Brazil and other developing countries but felt that the "impasse" could still be overcome.

Obstacles have been raised by developing countries like India and Brazil particularly on pharmaceutical patents, a senior US trade official told reporters adding there are days still left for hard negotiations.

The two developing countries wanted the language to clarify that the WTO agreement on TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) did not prevent members from taking measures to protect public health. The official pointed out that such broad language could be interpreted as allowing "gross violations" of intellectual property like patents on medical equipment, copyrights on software or medical textbooks.

He said TRIPS already gives public health officials flexibility in giving treatment during HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other epidemics. Also, he said, the US has pending for the poorest countries their deadlines for fulfilling TRIPS obligations from 2006 to 2016.

Echoing the views of the pharmaceutical giants, he said while the government needs access to patented drugs to treat epidemics, pharmaceutical manufacturers need incentives to continue the costly development and production of new drugs.

"There needs to be a distinction made between countries that are trying to address a national health emergency and countries that are trying to promote their generic drug producers to be able to export to other countries," he added.

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