The current deliberations in the TRIPS Council on Paragraph 6 of Doha Declaration held on November 24, 2002 has disappointed the African group of nations as the declaration seems to have stepped backwards from last year's Doha declaration. This discontent of the African group has opened a window of opportunity for the developing country group to reunite it, feels the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA).

The African group is disillusioned with (A) US trying to limit the recourse to three specific diseases, (B) Japan trying to exclude "Vaccines", and (C) the EC placing such restrictions that no developing country generic producers would supply or export to other countries. After the last year's TRIPS meet at Doha, the African Group had broken away from the developing country group (India, Brazil, China, Malaysia, etc).

IPA feels that the current situation is the best opportunity for reuniting the African group. However, for that it feels the Indian government should take active steps immediately as the US/EC combine is likely to pull back the African group once again with them.

The discontent of the African group can be felt from the statement of one of the representatives from Kenya Amina Mohammed. "There is no merit in coming up with a purported solution that amounts to a step back from Doha or even that creates further restrictions on current flexibilities in the TRIPS Agreement as highlighted in the Declaration," she said.

The statement continues, "In this context, the draft of 24 November represents a step back. The earlier drafts seemed to take on board our concerns and aspirations, and it was on this basis that the Africa Group decided to continue work on those drafts with a view to improving on them. We have been disappointed that the positive approach in the earlier drafts has been eroded especially with reference to domestic markets and technology."

"Due to the foregoing, the African Group is disappointed and frustrated by the progress made so far. The Group feels that if discussions continue on the same line as they have been conducted to date, then it is unlikely that the desired solution will be forthcoming, particularly one meant to address the pubic health problems afflicting Africa."

IPA as a proactive step to support the Government initiative has already sent letters to some of the missions of the African Group in Geneva.

The current deliberations in the TRIPS Council on Paragraph 6 of Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health have also raised some basic issues as regards India's approach to the trade talks.

The IPA wonders should India not promote its commercial interests even when they are congruous with its humanitarian goals and consistent with the public health concerns of the affected countries. The Association feels that it has witnessed in the recent past that the US/EC combine is aggressively pushing commercial interest of their pharmaceutical industry even if they are against public health concerns.