Ecuador issues Presidential Declaration on Access to Priority Medicines
On October 26, 2009 Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa declared access to priority medicines affecting the health of the Ecuadorean population to be a matter of public interest. Under Andean Community law, the declaration opens the door to competition of generic medicines with patented brand-name drugs, through use of an internationally recognized legal mechanism called compulsory licensing. The declaration could lead to government policies that expand access to medicines.
You can download a .doc version of an unofficial English translation of the declaration here: Decree_CorreaEnglishunofficialtranslation.doc