Reposted from the Nigeria-AIDS eForum
http://www.nigeria-aids.org/eforum.cfm

Dear Friends,

There is a very important meeting coming up with the intellectual
property law commission in Abuja at the Hilton, on Nov 20-22, that will
decide the legality of importing generic drugs for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.
The meeting is meant to finalize Nigeria coming into compliance with
the TRIPS Agreement of the World Trade Organization in which Nigeria
is required to change its intellectual property/trade policy to match new
global rules. These global rules are flexible, but if not properly designed
could mean that importing drugs from generic companies could
become illegal in Nigeria, leaving little chance for PLWHA to ever
access drugs in the future.

The meeting is being organized and funded by the US Department of
Commerce and the Nigerian private sector is tagging along. This will
be the third time they have met, and this time, they will decide the final
fate of the intellectual property law in Nigeria, before it is sent to the
National Assembly. If the U.S. has its way, it will succeed in blocking the
implementation of parallel importation laws (which allows for the
importation of generic drugs) and make compulsory licensing (which
allows for the local manufacturing of generic drugs) very stringent.

If this happens then the government's Broad Access to Anti-Retrovial
Drugs Project and the importation of CIPLA drugs will become illegal
and Nigeria could, in the most extreme case, face trade sanctions by the
World Trade Organization (and the U.S) if it decides to continue with this
important AIDS project. Access to generic products in general, or of any
kind, will also become illegal and trade sanctions could follow if there is
any attempt to further import from CIPLA or other generic companies.

I'm hoping to get the word out to AIDS activists and workers to try their
best to get to this meeting to fight for the implementation of a parallel
importation law that is defined by international exhaustion of rights,
which Nigeria is entitled to. This is a very crucial moment as the U.S. is
putting great pressure on the Nigerian government to act on behalf of
U.S. private sector interests, which negatively impacts and actually
conflicts with the health and well being of Nigerians.

If you feel you need more information on Nigeria's intellectual property
law, the World Trade Organization/TRIPs Agreement and access to
drugs, I will provide you with contacts inside Nigeria for further education
and information. I hope you all can show a strong force at these
meetings. Please forward this message. Thank you.

Peace,

Kris Peterson
Email: [email protected]