GENEVA -

Canada has become the first country in the world to invoke a provision allowing it to export a cheap, generic version of patented AIDS drugs, the World Trade Organization said Friday.

"The triple combination AIDS therapy drug, TriAvir, can now be made and exported to Rwanda, which is unable to manufacture the medicine itself,'' a WTO statement said.

Canada's notification that it would make use of the so-called "compulsory licence'' procedure completes action that began July 17 when Rwanda informed WTO it would invoke the provision in ordering the drugs from Canada.

Canada's notice was "the first notification from any government that it has authorized a company to make a generic version of a patented medicine for export under special WTO provisions agreed in 2003,'' WTO said.

Under WTO rules, countries can issue compulsory licences to disregard patent rights, but only after negotiating with the patent owners and paying them adequate compensation.

Rwanda said originally that it intended to import 260,000 packs of TriAvir fixed-dose combination product of zidovudine, lamivudine and Nevirapine over two years. The drug is being made in Canada by Apotex, Inc., which is calling it ApoTriavir.

"Both notifications were required for the medicine to be exported to Rwanda,'' WTO said. The accord eases the way for countries with public health problems to import cheaper generics made under compulsory licensing elsewhere when they are unable to manufacture the medicines themselves.

Combivir, made by Britain's GlaxoSmithKline PLC, contains lamivudine and zidovudine. Nevirapine is a generic version of Viramune, made by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH of Germany.

Many AIDS patients have developed resistance to older anti-retrovirals and now need more expensive, second-line drugs. The international aid group Oxfam says the patent-busting procedure is almost never used because developing countries face pressure from rich governments acting on behalf of their drug companies.

Brazil and Thailand have recently issued compulsory licences to develop cheap generic versions of American AIDS drugs, among other medicines. Industry groups criticized the countries, and the United States later placed Thailand on its copyright watch list.

The United Nations says some 190,000 Rwandans, or 2.1 per cent of the population, are living with HIV.