- The World Trade Organization has adopted a Protocol to amend the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreed by its member countries, in order to relax existing certain restrictions with regard to the production and use of medical drugs. As a country, which has only a limited manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector, Sri Lanka stands to benefit from the above flexibilities that would allow it to source generic versions of expensive patented medicines from any competitive supplier around the world in times of any medical emergencies such as epidemics or natural disasters. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, to ratify the relevant Protocol, was approved by the Cabinet.