Medicine prices at risk under Pacific trade draft: Critics
Medicine costs would rise if draft proposals in a Pacific Rim trade pact come into force, health and consumer rights advocates say after the release of a leaked negotiating text.
17 Oct 2014Medicine costs would rise if draft proposals in a Pacific Rim trade pact come into force, health and consumer rights advocates said on Thursday after the release of a leaked negotiating text.
Documents published by whistle-blowers WikiLeaks showed countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were still far apart on issues such drug patents, copyright and other intellectual property questions.
The 77-page draft chapter, dated May 16, showed a push to extend protection for drugs and other medicines which would keep prices high for longer and delay the introduction of cheaper generic alternatives, according to legal experts and groups including Public Citizen and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
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