July 5, 2011 -- As a way of keeping a lid on the cost of treatments for HIV/AIDS, China may soon institute a policy of mandatory licensing of the necessary drugs. Mandatory licensing – also called a compulsory or statutory license – requires a company making a patented drug to license their patent for a specified payment. The payment may be set by law or negotiated between the government and the pharmaceutical company. China wants cheaper HIV/AIDS drugs because it is planning to expand coverage of preventive antiretroviral therapy. More details...
