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US firm on drug patents

    JOHANNESBURG

    America appears unlikely to compromise on international drug patents, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported on Wednesday.

    The US was the only one of the World Trade Organisation's 144 members to oppose a December agreement at the Doha convention that would have allowed developing countries to ignore drug patents in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

    However, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) argued that US opposition was based on the fact that the proposal was a license for unfair competition.

    "It's not about the poor countries, if it were about the poor countries everything would be over," PhRMA spokesman, Mark Greyson, said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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