In a bid to expand access to pricey cystic fibrosis treatments, a coalition of families and activists are petitioning four governments — South Africa, India, Brazil, and Ukraine — to make it possible to obtain generic versions of a medicine sold by Vertex Pharmaceuticals. And the coordinated effort underscores the growing global battle over equal access to medicines.
The gambit largely involves the use of compulsory licenses, which lets a country grant a license to a public agency or a generic drugmaker to copy a patented medicine without the consent of the brand-name company that owns the patent. The right to take this step, which can be used to lower the cost of a prescription medicine, was memorialized in a World Trade Organization agreement.
Cystic fibrosis patients and their families have argued that the cost of Vertex medicines means they are often out of reach. At different times, they have urged the company to provide its drugs at affordable prices, offer compassionate use where the drugs are not yet available, or issue licenses to generic makers in countries where the company does not plan to supply treatments any time soon.
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