OBJECTIVE： To improve response capacity of China to deal with intellectual property rights protection standard terms （Trips-plus terms） beyond the regulations of Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights （TRIPS）， and to provide reference for improving national intellectual property rights protection policy. METHODS： Trips-plus terms and their common types were introduced to analyze their characteristics and consider about their adverse effects. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS： Common TRIPS-plus terms involve data protection， patent interlinkage， patent period extension， limitation of compulsory licensing and parallel importation， etc. These terms pose a significant challenge to developing countries， resulting in delaying entry of generics， increasing drug price， influencing drug accessibility and posing a great threat to public health.  China， as the largest developing country mostly relying on generic drugs， should scientifically assess the effects of TRIPS-plus on public health， drug accessibility and pharmaceutical industry in the process of domestic legislation and negotiating a free trade agreement， and make effective use of the TRIPS flexibility to protect the public health.