Health Technologies and International Intellectual Property Law

From the late twentieth century onwards, several global virus transmissions have exposed the lack of a mature legal framework in international public health to provide prompt, concrete and specific guidance during a large-scale emergency. This book brings together international trade law and intellectual property law to show how risk analysis and a precautionary approach should be taken in the intellectual property regime to enable states to issue a compulsory licence of a drug patent in order to enhance access to medicines in a public health emergency.