Last month, we reported on letters sent by two Senators and fifteen Representatives to the U.S. Trade Representative, seeking clarification regarding the Administration's position on compulsory licenses.  The letters were prompted by reports that representatives of the U.S. government may have pressured the Colombian government not to issue a compulsory license for Imatinib, marketed by Novartis as Gleevec® or Glivec.  We also reported on a letter sent by three Colombian organizations (the IFARMA Foundation, Misión Salud, and CIMUN) to a World Health Organization (WHO) working group, alleging that "enormous pressure" had been applied by developed countries and pharmaceutical companies to block Colombia from issuing the compulsory license for Imatinib, and resistance to the compulsory license had combined "inaccuracies, distortions of international trade rules and even threats of trade claims under the dispute settlement mechanism."  Finally, we reported on a letter sent to President Obama by 28 organizations "concerned with access to medicines and U.S. aid to support peace in Colombia" that echoed the comments of the letters from Senate and House legislators.

In a letter sent to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in May, 122 "lawyers, academics and other experts specializing in fields including intellectual property, trade and health" wrote to "encourage [his] administration, the Ministry of Health and the Superintendency of Industry and Trade to proceed with the public interest declaration" and grant a compulsory license for Imatinib.  The group of experts also wrote to "affirm that international law and policy support Colombia's right to issue compulsory licenses on patents in order to promote public interests including access to affordable medicines."

With respect to reports that representatives of the U.S. government had pressured the Colombian government not to issue a compulsory license, the group "condemn[ed] any pressure levied against Colombia for its use of lawful policies such as compulsory licensing to promote public health," adding that "[i]f the reports are accurate, those officials have acted inappropriately, and contravened U.S. government policy, which supports trading partners' rights to issue compulsory licenses."  The group also noted that:

Article 31 of the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (WTO's TRIPS) permits all WTO members, including Colombia, to issue compulsory licenses at any time on grounds of their choosing.  The only compensation due to patent-holders in instances of compulsory licensing is a reasonable royalty, which governments may determine at their discretion.

Contending that "[h]igh prices for any important medicine impose a burden on the public health system responsible for providing it, and lead to the rationing of treatment and other health services," the group stated that "[w]hen a pharmaceutical company uses a patent to exclude competition, it can charge much higher prices."  The group concluded the letter by stating that:

Issuing a compulsory license does not expropriate the property rights of the patent holder.  Rather, the right of a government to authorize other uses of a patented invention is embedded and reserved in the grant of a patent.  Furthermore, a license does not prevent the patent holder from continuing to sell its product, prohibit non-licensed uses of the invention, or prohibit non-licensed parties from using the invention.