Intellectual property rights and traditional medicine: policy dilemmas at the interface

Traditional medicines play an important role in the provision of health care in many developing countries. Their use is also significant in developed countries, increasing their commercial value. Several ‘high-profile’ cases of patenting of traditional medicines, without consent from or compensation to their holders, have further focussed attention on their importance. Traditional medicine usually involves biological resources and the knowledge of local and indigenous peoples and/or healers regarding their medicinal use; thus, it is interlinked with biodiversity conservation and indigenous peoples’ rights over their knowledge and resources. At this multi-faceted interface, complex ethical questions arise. This article provides an overview and discussion of key issues, dilemmas and challenges. It points to possible modifications and at ways to devise new forms of intellectual property ownership that may better suit the needs of those who seek to protect traditional medicine. Yet it also questions whether such protection, which may restrict access, is the preferred option.