Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department supports the use of Compulsory Licences to gain access to medicines (a) generally and (b) by Columbia for access to dolutegravir.

The Government supports the Doha Declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health and, within that, a country’s right to use compulsory licensing, where necessary and appropriate, to achieve public health policy objectives in the case of national health emergencies. We are aware of the potential impact such initiatives may have on access to medicines, market dynamics, and innovation. We are closely following the process undertaken by Colombia and are in regular dialogue with them on this and other regulatory matters.