Balancing WTO-TRIPS Standard Against Nigeria Counterfeit Regulatory Efforts

Abstract

Recent years has seen the rapid growth and scale of Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals in Nigeria irrespective of the Intellectual Property Right (IPR) standard provided by the World Trade Organisation-Trade Related aspect of Intellectual Property Right (WTO-TRIPS) Agreement. The effect of the WTO-TRIPS protection of Intellectual Property Rights creates the problem of access to medicine for developing countries. This has provoked counterfeit pharmaceutical activities worldwide and prevalently in Nigeria. The aim is to ascertain, by way of analytical framework the viability of the WTO-TRIPS agreement for addressing the scourge of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in Nigeria. The concept of counterfeit pharmaceuticals will be explored, and its parameters defined as a premise for testing the viability of the WTO-TRIPS and the Nigerian Counterfeit regulatory framework.