Chile's congress votes to pursue compulsory licenses for medicines

In a sign that a fight may be brewing in yet another country over the cost of medicines, the lower house of the Chilean congress on Wednesday passed a resolution instructing the government

to make it possible to issue compulsory licenses for prescription drugs. The move comes in response to concerns over rising prices and the ability of the government to cover costs, according

to the resolution, which cites hepatitis C treatments as an example. The document also points to lower prices found for other types of medicines in countries where governments have pursued

compulsory licensing. Countries can issue compulsory licenses to a generic drug maker allowing it to copy a patented medicine without the consent of the pharmaceutical company that owns the

patent. The right to do so was memorialized in a World Trade Organization agreement known as Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property rights, or TRIPS. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already

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