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www.fdanews.com/articles/70546-us-hiv-aids-groups-warn-on-mexico-patent-regime

US HIV/AIDS Groups Warn on Mexico Patent Regime

April 1, 2005

A US-based health group, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), has called on government agencies and drug companies in Mexico to reconsider intellectual property requirements included in the NAFTA treaty. The group claims that the treaty conflicts with more flexible provisions in the TRIPS accord on intellectual property, such as that allowing signatories to issue licences for production of some drugs in case of a health emergency.

Mexico's drug patent regime is already one of the tightest in Latin America, and was amended as recently as early 2005 to clarify the status of generic drugs in the country. The AHF, which operates a network of free treatment centres including a unit in Tijuana, fears that stricter patent laws may place some drugs out of the reach of ordinary Mexicans, with the cost of annual treatment estimated by the group at up to US$2,000. Nevertheless, the final status of the NAFTA treaty is shortly due to be concluded, and given the direction of previous legislation Mexican officials are likely to opt for strict intellectual property standards.