In response to the article written by Diana Worthy in last week's Wandsworth Borough News, I should like to make a few brief points.
As a UK Labour MP, I have long campaigned for greater equity and for international development issues to be pushed to the top of the Government's agenda.
The issue of patents on pharmaceutical products has gained a lot of media attention and rightly so - it is imperative that people across the globe are not prevented from receiving essential drugs.
As is so often the case, however, the situation is not black and white. I was at the recent meeting in Doha, where the WTO agreement on intellectual property has been modified.
The agreement now explicitly emphasises the right of countries in public health emergencies to override their obligations to international intellectual property law. And the poorest countries are not expected to comply at all until 2016.
I was impressed to see the WTO place this important human rights issue at the top of the agenda and would like to congratulate the NGOs and individuals who have campaigned on this issue.
The Doha ministerial conference was a landmark achievement. Progress has really been made.
TONY COLMAN MP, House of Commons
November 23, 2001 12:01
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