On January 10, Erika George, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, will present a talk titled “Incorporating Rights” as part of the University of Washington Faculty Colloquia Series.
George’s talk is taken from a chapter in her forthcoming book. It will examine the role pharmaceutical corporations play in influencing access to essential medicines and the risks posed to the right to health by the high price of antiretroviral treatment in the context of South Africa’s HIV/AIDS epidemic. The talk will also explore how understandings of responsible corporate conduct regarding access to essential medicines evolved as controversies over patent protection and pricing served to elevate human rights issues and escalate the social expectations assigned to pharmaceutical corporations.