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Responding to frequently asked questions: TPP TTIP pharmaceutical reimbursement “transparency”
Brand name pharmaceutical companies are advocating for inclusion of disciplines on public pharmaceutical reimbursement programs in the ongoing negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Trading away access to medicines "revisited"
How the European trade agenda continues to undermine access to medicines
EU must allay fears about free trade with Canada, Danish minister say
Danish companies — such as pharmaceutical giant Novo-Nordisk, who will get expanded patent protection in Canada — see huge opportunities for boosting their revenues through CETA.
Médecins Sans Frontières warns about IP inclusion in Asian FTA
The inclusion of intellectual property in the ongoing negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership between 16 countries, most of them Asian, is raising concerns about “TRIPS-plus” measures that could jeopardise generic drugs production in India, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.
Leaked EU trade pact suggests Canada caved on drug patents
A leaked copy of the full text of the Canada-EU free trade agreement was posted online late Wednesday and appeared to confirm the fears of the deal’s critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
AMA warns on risks lurking in TPP trade deal
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has urged the Australian government to reject provisions in the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) that “could undermine the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and compromise the ability of governments to improve public health”.
The US / Peru Free Trade Agreement and generic medicines
Peru’s National Association of Pharmaceutical Laboratories (Alafarpe) has filed a petition in the Peruvian courts to stop generic drugs from being sold based on the terms of US-Peru free trade agreement, according to Inca Kola News
Free trade agreement threatens PBS
The threat of the Transpacific Partnership Agreement to Australia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is so real that Michael Moore, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, has said “It will cost Australian lives".
Free trade agreements contain provisions that restrict access to medicines: UNITAID
UNITAID, a global health initiative has warned against bilateral and regional trade agreements, pushed mostly by Europe and the US, as such agreements go well beyond traditional trade concerns and include provisions that force extensive obligations related to intellectual property and investor protection which would restrict access to medicines.
Free trade agreements threaten access to medicine by the poor in Philippines
Ambitious free trade agreements in the Philippines would pose serious threats to access to medicines for the poor by providing greater patent rights to pharmaceutical companies, the EU-ASEAN Campaign Network said Tuesday ahead of an international meeting of pharmaceutical companies in Manila.
TTIP and the big pharma wish-list
A report by the Commons Network and civil society partners shows that the pharmaceutical industry’s wish list for the TTIP is detrimental for public health, will increase the cost of medicines and undermines democratic processes
Possible retard de l’accord de libre-échange entre la Suisse et l’Inde
Le conseiller fédéral suisse Johann Schneider-Ammann a laissé entendre samedi dans la presse alémanique que la question de la protection des brevets pourrait retarder l’accord de libre-échange avec l’Inde.
Canadians balk at longer brand-name drug patents
Nearly two-thirds of Canadians oppose longer patents for brand-name drugs under a proposed trade deal with the European Union, according to a poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians.
The EU-Thailand FTA: What fate for access to medicines?
Following the public outcry over the EU’s demands for stringent intellectual property rules that would dramatically raise medicines prices in India, you would expect the EU to think twice about making similar demands in future trade agreements. Yet, this is precisely what is going on now in the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Thailand.
EU-US free trade pact cause of concern for Indian pharma firms
There are apprehensions that TTIP would prevent Indian pharma companies to come to market with the same products - they would need to pass through several rounds of additional tests. As a result, prices will move up significantly.
Roadblocks revealed in TPP talks
Leaked details of free trade negotiations between New Zealand and the United States show the two countries are in stark opposition on a number of key areas.
CETA is more about corporate rights than free trade
Since announcing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) two weeks ago Harper’s Conservatives have repeatedly labelled those questioning the deal as “anti-trade”. But this Canada-European Union accord is one part trade and four parts ‘corporate bill of rights’.
Ottawa challenged to release internal estimates of Europe free-trade drug costs
The federal government won’t release internal documents that may predict potential higher drug costs for Canadians under new patent rules agreed to in the free-trade deal with Europe, Trade Minister Ed Fast says.
Canada-EU trade agreement presages IP reform
The far reaching provisions of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union will have considerable impact on Canada’s IP regime.
Patents against people: How drug companies price patients out of survival
The struggle for access to medicine presents a legal and ethical minefield for rich and poor countries alike—one that is being fought out as humanitarians challenge corporations over intellectual property rights.