This is an in-depth report that intends to assist developing countries in their efforts to adapt their laws to the standards set by TRIPS in relation to pharmaceutical products and processes.

The author presents options for the design and implementation of public-health-sensitive patent policies in developing countries. It examines approaches to selected issues in patent law that may help to strike a balance between the public and private interests involved in the protection of health-related inventions, including those of States, patients, and of the suppliers of health-related goods and services.

The report was prepared as part of an initiative that explored health-related aspects of intellectual property rights and how to further the needs of the poor and excluded in developing countries. It is primarily addressed to policy makers and others involved in public health in developing countries.

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