EU condemns stance of US drugs groups

Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for Trade, said on 20 January 2003 that American pharmaceutical industry objections to a proposed World Trade Organisation agreement to ease the supply of essential medicines to poor countries were 'very stupid'. All WTO members, apart from the US, agreed in December 2002 to a proposal that would permit the compulsory licensing of drugs for treatment of serious public health problems in poor countries that lacked the capacity to manufacture them.