AT LAST, 21 months late, the World Trade Organization has agreed a way for poor nations to import cheap, generic versions of patented drugs. The deal, which should help developing countries fight diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, was described by the director-general of the WTO as proof “that the organisation can handle humanitarian as well as trade concerns”. But critics, including the charity Médecins Sans Frontières, argue that the agreement will create a bleaker future still.
Already, developing countries with large generics industries, such as India, have agreed to conform to western-style patent rules from 2005. Today,…
