I wrote this commment to BBC:
I don't think the headline "Taiwan to ignore flu drug patent" is an accurate reflection of the situation. The health official you quoted does say that they are in communication with Roche to try to get permission to mass produce. So they're not "ignoring" the patent.
Also, you might mention that Taiwan has never been allowed into the World Health Organization. (This means it probably won't get any WHO assistance if the bird flu attacks the island, just as it didn't get [any real] assistance from WHO when SARS struck.) In the end, we might need to balance the company's right to a patent against the right of the people of Taiwan to live.
2 comments:
It's the old spirit of the law versus the letter of the law thing.
Well, the good news is that Roche has evidently responded to Taiwan request and said they're willing to discuss the issue. (Heard that last night on the news.)
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