Madeleine Oritt, University of Utah
International Studies
This research examines the impact of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on accessibility to HIV/AIDS medications for populations in resource-limited countries. This World Trade Organization agreement created provisions by which these countries can obtain or manufacture HIV/AIDS drugs at reduced prices, but also affirmed the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies over their drugs. To achieve a thorough understanding of its impact, several other factors that affect accessibility to HIV/AIDS medications, beneficially or detrimentally, were analyzed and compared to the TRIPS agreement; these factors include foreign aid, drug pricing inequality, patent pools, independent actions of drug companies, and political pressure. Research was conducted through literary review, using primary sources including academic articles, news and magazine articles and information from governmental organizations like the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization. This research recognizes the detrimental effect of the TRIPS agreement on accessibility of HIV/AIDS medications globally. However, the analysis of the aforementioned factors illuminates the positive effects of multiple other actors and organizations, which may negate, partially or fully, the ramifications of the TRIPS agreement. Thus, this research concludes fundamental factors, including physical obstacles like a lack of infrastructure and dispersal of HIV/AIDS-affected populations in rural areas, social obstacles like ethnic fractionalization and stigma, and political obstacles like government corruption, inefficiency and lack of economic prosperity, have the most deleterious effect upon HIV/AIDS drug accessibility. Instead of focusing on the TRIPS agreement as a singular determinant, these deep-rooted issues must take precedence and will require more time, cooperation and political will to change on a national and global level. Until the affected countries are willing to assume responsibility for drug accessibility and the fundamental issues that affect it, it will be impossible to realize widespread progress toward treating HIV/AIDS in resource-limited populations.