Hand with pillsA laboratory technician at an HIV institute in Uganda was quoted in the Africa Renewal having said that health professionals are worried that international intellectual property rules will make it harder for poor patients to obtain more affordable generic medicines.

This is happening even though an agreement at the World Trade Organization (WTO) seven years ago allowed developing countries to import inexpensive copies of costly patented medicines.

Women and children outside a health facility JOHANNESBURG, 27 May 2010 – A new report released by the international medical charity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) indicates that as donors retreat from funding HIV and AIDS programmes, years of progress in HIV treatment are under threat and the lives of HIV-positive people are increasingly on the line.

Developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—spearheaded by India and Brazil—have secured passage of a resolution that calls for a major review of the World Health Organization’s role in combating counterfeit and substandard drugs.

The demands seek to curtail the role of WHO in intellectual property enforcement issues and to prioritise public health concerns.

Source: ReutersGENEVA, 21 MAY 2010 - The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the　 World　Health Organization's (WHO) Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

According to an article in the WHO website, the delegates adopted resolutions on a variety of global health issues including: