Compulsory Patent Licensing and Access to Medicines: A Silver Bullet Approach to Public Health? / Progress in Mathematics (PDF)

Dr. Van Anh Le has written an important and timely new book focusing on the ability of countries to provide essential medicines to their populations even when these medicines are patented.

-Martin J. Adelman, Theodore and James Pedas Family Professor of Intellectual Property and Technology Law, George Washington University Law School.

This timelymonograph focuses on India and Brazil's use of compulsory licensing, one of the most significant and controversial TRIPS flexibilities. This is a topical work at this critical time when the COVID-19 has stirred up the debate about compulsory licensing and access to medicines. A closer look into the historical use of compulsory licences in certain countries can offer some takeaways for the current situation."

The author studies historical developments and political conditions of the patent system and compulsory licensing from the earliest stage to the modern arena, with a great emphasis on TRIPS. After conducting a cross-national study of India and Brazil, the book moves on to evaluate the different philosophies on compulsory licensing of multilateral organizations such as the EU, the WIPO, the WTO, and NGOs.

This important book will strongly appeal to intellectual property students, academics, policymakers, and lawyers practicing in the area. It will also be of interest to academics working in the areas of international law, development, and public health as well as state actors and others with relevant concerns working in multilateral organizations.

Van Anh Le is Departmental Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Oxford, UK.