ICASO Background Paper on Compulsory Licensing and Parallel Importing

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

The International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) has
issued a paper on compulsory licensing and parallel importing.

It is on the web here:

http://www.icaso.org/compulsory_english.htm

Here is the ICASO press release:

          Date: Tue, 03 Aug 1999 15:53:43 -0400
            To: richardb@icaso.org
          From: Richard Burzynski <richardb@icaso.org>
        Subject: ICASO Releases Background Paper on Compulsory 
Licensing and Parallel Importing
____________________________________

Toronto (Canada) - ICASO Releases Background Paper on Compulsory
Licensing
and Parallel Importing

In response to recent queries about the issue of Compulsory Licensing
and
Parallel Importing, the International Council of AIDS Service
Organizations
(ICASO) has prepared a background document for community groups and
individuals interested in this topic.  Written by Margaret Duckett, the
paper reviews two key questions:

1.  What do these issues mean?;  and,
2.  Will they improve access to essential drugs for people living with
HIV/AIDS?

Since 1998, treatment activists have increasingly been talking about the
effect of international trade laws on access to essential drugs,
especially
HIV-related medications. Recently, these issues have been the subject of
considerable debate among treatment activists, pharmaceutical companies,
governments and academics.

This document aims to provide people with sufficient information to
participate fully in the debate, and to help people better understand
the
potential for advocacy work on these matters in their own countries and
with their own governments.

If this is the first time you have considered some of the issues covered
in
this paper, please treat this document as a starting point; collect more
information, read further, and talk about the issues with other
individuals
and groups.

The document has 10 sections:

1.      An introduction to the document
2.      Background to the issues
3.      Information on Parallel Importing
4.      Information on Compulsory Licensing
5.      A section from the Consumer's perspective
6.      A section on Commonly asked questions
7.      Other means of lowering drug prices
8.      A section on future action
9.      Where to go for further information - other web sites,
        list serves and publications
10.     A glossary of key terms

The document is currently available in English on the ICASO Web site at:
<http://www.icaso.org/compulsory_english.htm>.

Spanish and French translations are currently underway and will be
available shortly on the same site.

 - compulsory_english.htm
 - compulsory_licensing.rtf


______________________________________
ICASO
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Toronto, ON  CANADA M5B 2J6
Tel: (1-416) 340 2437
Fax: (1-416) 340 8224
E-mail: yolantac@icaso.org
www.icaso.org

AfriCASO - Africa
Email : africaso@enda.sn

APCASO - Asia/Pacific
E-mail: apcaso@mozcom.com

EuroCASO - Europe
Email: eurocaso@hivnet.ch

LACCASO - Latin America and the Caribbean
E-mail: laccaso@ciudad.com.ar

NACASO - North America
E-Mail: jcolema@nmac.org