South Africa's Medicines and Related Substance 1997 is a law enacted a compulsory license in order to fight HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In an effort to combat the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Government of South Africa enacted the Medicines and Related Substances Control Amendment Act in 1997.
[4] In agreement with the suit, the United States (US) and European Communities (EC) threatened economic sanctions.
[4] However, HIV/AIDS activists successfully contested this, demonstrators alleging that then United States presidential-candidate Al Gore was killing babies in Africa—and forced the US and EC to back off the South African government.
[4] As a result of immense international pressure, including from NGOs such as Oxfam,[5] the pharmaceutical companies dropped their case in April 2001.