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HR 2470 108th Congress House International Affairs AIDS (Disease) Access to health care Commerce Competition Developing countries Drug industry Drugs Foreign Trade and International Finance Free trade Health Human immunodeficiency viruses Intellectual property International organization Patent infringement Patents Prescription pricing Trade agreements Trade negotiations Vaccines

MEDDS Act

Introduced: June 12, 2003 Introduced by: Waters, Maxine Democratic · California See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 108th Congress ended
It never became law before the 108th Congress (2003–2004) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 19, 2003
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Jun 12, 2003
Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jun 12, 2003
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medicines to Eliminate Diseases in Developing States Act or MEDDS Act - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to encourage developing countries and pharmaceutical companies to make medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases available without charge or at affordable prices in developing countries.

Prohibits agencies from obligating or expending Federal funds to seek the revocation or revision of any intellectual property or competition law or policy of a developing country that regulates medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases, if the law or policy promotes access to such medicines for the population of the country. Prohibits the USTR from initiating a proceeding in the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenging any law or policy of a developing country that promotes such access.

Requires the President to direct the U.S. respresentative to the WTO to urge the WTO to exempt developing countries from the application of any provision of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) or other trade agreements that would prohibit or restrict those countries from establishing law or policy promoting access to medicines for HIV/AIDS and other diseases for their populations, and to support full implementation of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. Requires the USTR to oppose the inclusion in future trade agreements of any provision that would prohibit or otherwise restrict developing countries from establishing or implementing the laws or policies encouraged by this Act.

What's happening now June 19, 2003

Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2470: MEDDS Act. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2470/
MLA
"H.R. 2470: MEDDS Act." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2470/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 2470, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2470/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 2470: MEDDS Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2470/)
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