1. According to a recent WTO agreement, Least Developed Countries need not comply with IPR protection for pharmaceutical patents till 2021. Explain how these countries can use this opportunity to promote access to drugs, vaccines and diagnostics?

Approach:

♤ Explain how this decision has major implications for public health. In LDCs access to essential medicines has been a pressing concern for several decades.

♤ Least Developed Countries need to use this opportunity to productively and imaginatively promote access to medical products.