Proposed Intellectual Property Agreement Between E.U., India Could Affect Generic Drug Exports, Advocacy Groups Say

The Independent examines how "[t]he cheap supply of antiretroviral drugs to people with AIDS across the world could be choked by an 'intellectual property' deal ... being negotiated [on Friday] at the 12th E.U.-India summit in New Delhi between the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh."

AIDS advocacy and treatment organizations say the agreement will "hamper the export of these medicines to the developing world," while "E.U. trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, has denied this, saying 'any agreement will have no impact on the right or the capacity of India to produce generic medicines,'" the Independent writes. The newspaper notes, "More than 80 percent of those on HIV treatment in developing countries are on generic medicines made in India" and "the country's generics industry is estimated at more than $20 billion (£12 billion), including exports, according to figures quoted in the Lancet last year" (Vallely, 2/10).