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The One Rule That Made Global Pharmaceutical Trade Possible
Description
Episode 87 of Global Trade with Fexingo dives into a single World Trade Organization rule that transformed how medicines cross borders: the 2005 Doha Declaration on TRIPS and public health. Lucas walks through how a compromise at the WTO allowed developing countries to issue compulsory licenses for patented drugs, enabling generic production and trade. He uses the concrete example of HIV/AIDS antiretrovirals in sub-Saharan Africa—where prices dropped from $10,000 per patient per year to under $100 after countries like India and Brazil used the rule. Luna challenges whether the system works today for new drugs like GLP-1s, and they discuss the current debate around waiving IP for COVID-19 vaccines. No fluff, no jargon—just one rule that saved lives and reshaped global commerce.