To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential impact on access to HIV treatment of the Government of Thailand’s issuance of compulsory licences to produce locally or import generic versions of the drugs efavirenz and lopinavir/ritonavir; and if he will make a statement. (124893)

The Thai Government only recently announced their intention to issue compulsory licences for a number of patented medicines; therefore the impact of this action on access to HIV treatment is not yet clear.

We support the right of developing countries to implement the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as is appropriate for their circumstances and in order to ensure access to HIV treatment. We also support the right of developing countries to utilise the flexibilities allowed under TRIPS to ensure affordable access to medicines to meet public health needs, this includes the use of compulsory licensing provisions included in the TRIPS agreement.