Prime Minister Hasina Flip-Flops On Patents

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BMI View: It is unlikely that Bangladesh will receive an extension to its pharmaceutical patent-free regime past 2016. Multinational drugmakers see the South Asian country as a moderate investment opportunity and will petition the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to enforce the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Although this situation will negatively affect patients and drugmakers in Bangladesh immediately after 2016, respecting biomedical intellectual property will bring greater long-term benefits, such as improved diplomatic relations with developed states and much-needed foreign investment.