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Trade, Investment, IP and Health (LAWS90092)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2026
About this subject
Overview
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Trade, investment, intellectual property and health laws and norms interact in multiple ways, both to the benefit of health and to its detriment. This subject explores the harmonies and tensions across these critical areas of policy and governance at legal, normative, operational and institutional levels. It draws out key themes by examining major global health challenges of our time including pandemics (primarily COVID-19) and other international health emergencies, and noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease). The subject examines several high-profile areas of controversy in detail, such as: the tensions between intellectual property protection and access to affordable medicines and vaccines; restrictions on international trade (including in medicines, vaccines and medical equipment) imposed by countries in response to COVID-19; and the World Trade Organization and investment treaty challenges to tobacco packaging laws.
Principal topics may include:
- Overview of international trade, investment and intellectual property laws and governance, including key international institutions such as the World Trade Organization
- Overview of global health law and governance, including the role of the World Health Organization
- International cooperation to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and other international health emergencies, including current and recent developments in the negotiation of new international rules through the World Health Organization
- International trade, investment and intellectual property challenges in pharmaceutical innovation and access to affordable medicines and vaccines
- The lawfulness under international trade law of export restrictions on medicines, vaccines and medical equipment
- International trade, investment and intellectual property challenges to the regulation of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food
- Opportunities and challenges for achieving multi-sectoral trade-investment-intellectual property-health collaboration and understanding
Intended learning outcomes
Students who complete this subject should be able to:
- Identify and explain the major substantive obligations, and the key institutions and actors involved, in international trade, investment and intellectual property law;
- Recognise and analyse major global health law obligations, and the key global health institutions and actors;
- Appreciate the harmonies and tensions between international trade, investment and intellectual property laws and norms, and global health concerns;
- Apply relevant international trade, investment, intellectual property, and global health laws and norms to a range of topical factual scenarios relating to health, so as to reach logical and reasoned conclusions about the rights and obligations of the various state and non-state actors involved;
- Critically analyse and reflect on the role of international trade, investment, intellectual property, and global health actors and institutions in responding to, and resolving, current global health concerns;
- Discuss and participate effectively in debates concerning international trade, investment, intellectual property and global health laws, norms and institutions.
Last updated: 19 November 2025