STAT Plus: Did a pharma trade group try to sabotage a Dutch government report on compulsory licensing?
A Dutch government commission on compulsory licensing was nearly sabotaged last month after one of its members leaked information to a pharmaceutical industry trade group, according to a report that was subsequently issued by the head of the committee and another commission member.
The commission was created last year to research the use of compulsory licenses as a way for the Dutch government to cope with rising prices for prescription medicines. Under world trade rules, a country may grant a license to a public agency or a generic drug maker, allowing it to copy a patented medicine without the consent of the brand-name company that owns the patent.
