Critical Moment for Kenya Industrial Property Bill

At a press conference in Nairobi, the Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines called on the Kenya Parliament to pass a bill that would ensure that essential medicines are affordable. The call came as a parliamentary committee prepared to review the Industrial Property Bill during May recess.

"Every Kenyan has a friend or family member suffering from HIV-related infections. The Industrial Property Bill is a unique opportunity to ensure that Kenyan patients and doctors can legally access cheaper medicines to prolong and save lives," said Dr. Christopher Ouma of Action Aid, speaking for the Kenya Coalition. "Doctors are tired of not treating patients when drugs exist. Kenya must be able to shop around the world for the cheapest drugs," he concluded.

The coalition is concerned that multi-national companies could put pressure on the Kenyan government to drop or amend the bill. According to the coalition, multinational pharmaceutical companies are among the most profitable industries in the world. Africa makes up just over 1 percent of the global pharmaceutical market, and Kenya but a minute fraction of that.

The Industrial Property Bill protects intellectual property rights and it gives the government the means to access cheaper medicines through World Trade Organization safeguard mechanisms. These include parallel importing (the right to shop around the world for the cheapest offer of patented drugs) and compulsory licenses (issuing licenses for the production or importation of cheaper generic medicines).

In Kenya, it is estimated that approximately 2.5 million adults are living with HIV and that about 500 people die per day of HIV-related infections.

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