[20200330]LSB10436_新冠病毒-19：国际贸易和药品准入.pdf

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i COVID-19: International Trade and Access to Pharmaceutical Products March 30, 2020 As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues, governments and the private sector have begun assessing the possibility of developing medical countermeasures (e.g., vaccines, antiviral treatments) to improve patient recovery rates and contain the viruss spread. Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about access to, and the affordability of, any potential countermeasures. As outlined in this CRS Sidebar, Congress can take, and has taken, several steps to address these issues, some of which may raise questions under U.S. law. This Sidebar addresses how certain congressional or executive actions intended to increase access to medical countermeasures might be viewed under the rules of the international trade regime, including: (1) exclusion from patent protection; (2) compulsory licensing of patented products; and (3) increasing domestic capacity. Exclusion from Patent Protection Congress has constitutional authority to design and control the scope of a patent system. Thus, as described in