Global Health, and Trade and Investment
Global health law intersects with other fields of international law such as international trade law and international investment law. Matters such as export restrictions on medical goods or the impact of the TRIPS Agreement on the affordability of medicines are examples of this intersection. Bilateral Investment Agreements which protect foreign investments in home countries may also give rise to claims whenever states adopt laws or regulations to protect public health interests – as was the case with the claim brought by Philip Morris against Uruguay after Uruguay issued tobacco plain packaging rules to restrict tobacco marketing. Finding the appropriate and fair balance between the need to advance international trade and foreign investment and the need to protect public health is one of the main challenge of these fields.
