In recent years, global public health has taken a turn for the worse. The COVID-19 pandemic is only one of the causes. In addition, the progress that we have been making in suppressing some other infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis and malaria) has stalled, and the global prevalence of some major noncommunicable conditions (such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, and diabetes) has increased. Low and middle-income countries continue to bear heavier burdens from most of these diseases than upper-income countries. In combination, these developments may fairly be described as a crisis. This seminar examines a variety of ways in which intellectual-property law and other legal regimes could be deployed or modified in order to meet the threats and alleviate the disparities.
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