Malaysia Health Minister says new generics must not be delayed by interpretation of legislation

Malaysia does not want the introduction of new generic drugs to be obstructed and delayed by conflicting interpretations of national legislation and regulations on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) by various parties, reports Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said with the increasing number of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), many countries were faced with a huge challenge in providing sufficient access to essential medicines to treat such cases.

“The positive economic impact of generic substitutions can be enormous. For Malaysia which provides free medical care to its citizens, generics are essential to meet the continuous delivery of health care to its population,” he said in his speech at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs in New York on Monday.