TAMIFLU and bird flu

As levels of concern increase over bird flu as it touches ever more countries, Jamie Love of CPTech provides another excellent summary of the challenges of compulsory licensing of patented medicines for essential treatment - particularly where, as is the case in many countries because of political pressure and/or free trade agreements, countries have committed to not taking advantage of the opportunities available. The possibility for this to rebound to the disadvantage of such countries, largely in the developed world this time, is set out in his letter of 14 October to the US Trade Representative.

An interesting test case (with the potential, of course, sadly to become so much more). Will a different approach to patents be adopted when the questions are raised closer to home?