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In what appeared to be an about face the United States this week said it would permit developing countries to override patents on drugs to treat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, South Africa newspaper Business Day reported on Friday.
During recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, the US was blamed for the breakdown of negotiations which scuppered attempts to meet a year-end deadline for the drawing up of new global rules
The US previously argued that the rule should be restricted to just three diseases HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Although the US generally supported the proposal, it wanted to limit the scope to epidemics of infectious diseases and not let developing countries use it to gain cheap access to drugs for conditions like asthma, diabetes or smoking-related illnesses.
However, US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick said the US was seeking a solution that will provide life-saving drugs to those "truly in need".
Business Day reported the new US pledge is an interim solution which would allow developing countries to import drugs from other WTO members to treat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious epidemics of comparable gravity and scale.
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