The World Trade Organization has regulated compulsory licensing of pharmaceuticals as a mechanism to improve access to this products. They have been regulated in art. 31 of TRIPs Agreement, but their implementation haven?t been enough to promote access to existing medicines. This problem has led to several reforms that has finished with the declaration of 30 august 2003.The main objetives of this article are establishing the situation in the use of compulsory licensing after that Declaration, studying the incentives of the main agents in the international trade of pharmaceuticals an the possible effects of this new regulation.

Las licencias obligatorias para f?rmacos han sido previstas por la Organizaci?n Mundial de Comercio como un instrumento para facilitar el acceso a los medicamentos. Su regulaci?n en el art?culo 31 del ADPIC se ha mostrado insuficiente, y ha dado lugar a varias reformas, que han culminado con la Decisi?n del 30 de agosto de 2003.El objeto de este trabajo es presentar la situaci?n a la que ha dado lugar esta decisi?n, estudiando los incentivos de los agentes que intervienen en el comercio internacional de medicamentos y los resultados esperados de la nueva regulaci?n.