Bush blocks deal allowing cheap drugs for world's poor

George Bush's close links with the drugs industry were last night blamed for the failure of talks in Geneva aimed at securing access to cheap medicines for developing countries.

Delegates at the World Trade Organisation expressed frustration after the US again rejected a deal that would have loosened global patent rules to enable poor countries to import cheap copies of desperately needed drugs.

"We believe that governments should maintain their distance and should not be directed by pressure groups," one EU trade official said.

Negotiators said a solution to the deadlock lay in America's hands. "The pharmaceuticals lobby is running the show in Washington," one development activist said.
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