The Commission today (September 10) agreed to support the least developed countries' (LDCs) call for easier access to cheaper medicines by means of an indefinite exemption from World Trade Organization (WTO) intellectual property rules for pharmaceuticals. This exemption allows generic medicines to be imported, and produced locally, regardless of patents, for example when licenses are not available. It means producers of generics and international programmes can supply drugs like HIV treatment in affected countries without fear of patent infringement suits.

In the European Union, over 60 000 people a year contract a communicable disease that could not be a more stark reminder of the health inequalities that persist between different social groups. This disease is tuberculosis (TB). It is an airborne infection of the lungs, although extra-pulmonary TB also exists, and its symptoms include chest pain and a wracking cough.

Cape Town, South Africa, 02 December 2014