1.   And each country is free under the agreement to set its own criteria for what constitutes a national public health emergency, the justification for compulsory licenses.

2.   As a last resort, he said his company would support compulsory licenses.

3.   But the procedure to win a compulsory license can be slow and costly.

4.   But the pharmaceutical industry and the Clinton administration take the view that compulsory licenses and gray markets pose a threat to the entire system of intellectual property protection.

5.   Compulsory licenses are permitted in health emergencies under international trade agreements.

6.   Countries can now issue compulsory licenses without the fear of trade sanctions and lawsuits, he says.

7.   Serra told reporters that he started the process of issuing a compulsory license to produce nelfinavir, now made by Roche and marketed as Viracept.

8.   Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the compulsory license idea had some support in the Senate and House.

9.   Shah said that he believed a compulsory license for Viracept in Brazil would have little effect on the industry overall.

10.   That card is the threat of issuing a compulsory license.