Trade agreements should not hinder efforts towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support

UNAIDS issued a statement calling on all countries to ensure efforts towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support are not impeded by bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. The statement says that “in this current economic climate, resources for AIDS have already flattened and need for treatment continues to outstrip supply. Trade agreements that place additional burdens on the manufacture, import or export lifesaving medicines-so-called 'TRIPS plus' measures such as 'data exclusivity-and incorrect interpretations of the term 'counterfeit' should be avoided.” The full statement is available at http://unaidstoday.org/?p=2087.