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medicines


US puts unwarranted pressure on India for taking legal steps to increase access to affordable medicines
India is facing an onslaught of political pressure from the U.S. government and pharmaceutical industry in retaliation for the country’s entirely legal actions to limit abusive patenting practices and increase access to affordable generic medicines
Thailand: Uncertainties continue to plague FTA deal with Europe
Thai trade representative Olarn Chaiprawat has given civil society groups a confirmation that "TRIPS-plus" and drug issues will not be included in the Thai-EU FTA negotiations.
The deadly cost of secret free trade deals
Once again, our government is negotiating a trade deal in secret — and once again, the chorus of “free market” fundamentalists is assuring us that what’s good for lining corporate pockets must be good for us all.
TPPA: NGOs want medical and tobacco business excluded in free trade talks
Malaysia should exclude medical and tobacco businesses in the ongoing free trade talks under the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Canada urged to reject TPP drug patent proposal as bad for poor countries
Canada is pushing back against a campaign by activists trying to block what they say are onerous intellectual property rules that would raise the price of pharmaceuticals in poor countries.
Trans-Pacific trade deal threatens access to affordable medicines
As host to both the AIDS conference and TPP trade talks this month, Malaysia reportedly vows to reject a TPP trade agreement that harms access to medicines; other countries should follow suit, and Malaysia should be held to its pledge
Investment agreements: A new threat to health and TRIPS flexibilities?
Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) may be a threat to access to medicines as shown by a recent legal suit by a drug multinational against Canada for invalidating a patent, writes Carlos Correa
A Kiwi-sized "Spanner in the works" of the TPP?
Are the PBS and Pharmac under threat from the TPP? Certainly, the respective governments of both Australia and New Zealand think not. So why then the paranoia? Quite simply, we need the US more than they need us. In order to secure the TPP (and with it, for example, access to the lucrative US dairy market), both Australia and New Zealand will likely need to yield in several key areas.
Live from the TPP: IP chapter shows no sign of resolution, end of negotiation in 2013 highly unlikely
There is a strong sense in the halls of the current TPP negotiation that the end is not in sight. And one of the primary reasons s a lack of consensus on intellectual property and pharmaceuticals issues, reports Infojustice from Lima.
Investors’ IP rights unbound: The danger of investment clauses to access to medicines
Although access to medicines activists have been wise to focus our attention intently on convincing low- and middle-income countries to adopt and use all possible TRIPS-compliant flexibilities and to oppose the TRIPS-plus IP chapters in free trade agreements, we have neglected to interrogate another chapter in free trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties that perhaps pose an even greater threat to our collective access to medicines – investment chapters.
India-EU FTA won’t hit generic drugs industry: EU envoy
The much-hyped bilateral trade and investment agreement (BTIA) between India and the European Union (EU) would not impact the Indian generic drugs industry or lead to a change in the country’s patent law, João Cravinho, EU ambassador to India, said on Friday.
India-EU FTA will imperil lives, local industry, say activists
A large number of people living with HIV, cancer patients and health activists took to the streets of Delhi today asking government of India not to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) as it would be detrimental to the interests of tens of thousands of people like them in the country.
Cambodian people’s statement on the EU-India free trade agreement on generic drugs
We, Cambodian garment workers, sex workers, entertainment workers, people living with HIV, LGBTs, university students, feminists and human right activists from different networks and organisations came together to express our concern about the threat posed by the forthcoming EU-India free trade agreement to the lives of millions of people in Cambodia and many other developing countries across the world.
Join the rally to oppose EU-India FTA!
Around 2000 people including people living with HIV (PLHIV), patient groups and public health activists will take to the streets and rally from Barakhamba road to Jantar Mantar at 11.00 am on 10 April 2013 to voice concerns and protest against harmful provisions being pushed by the EU-India FTA negotiations
Manmohan Singh must learn from the Novartis judgement
Will Manmohan Singh understand the clear purpose behind the national sentiment around the Supreme Court judgment on Novartis’ cancer drug Glivec? If he does, he should take a relook at the India-EU Free Trade Agreement that is cooking in his back-room.
European Union sets tough conditions under FTA
The gains accruing to the Indian generic drugs industry as a result of the Supreme Court judgement on the Novartis case may be lost if India accepts demands by the European Union (EU) under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides.
Indian pharma sector fears India-European Union FTA could imperil local industry
Drugmakers and healthcare activists are worried that the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is in the works, may contain a provision that could imperil local industry and have urged the government to keep patent infringement issues out of FTAs.
European Union-India FTA may hit generic medical industry
The free trade agreement that European Union is pushing India to sign could put an end to India’s status as the pharmacy of the developing providing affordable medicines, especially HIV drugs to countries like Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and several others. The negotiations with EU are on at a feverish pace this week in Brussels even before the parliamentary standing committee looking into the free trade agreements (FTAs) has submitted its report.
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: an interview with Judit Rius, Médecins Sans Frontières
The TPP negotiators are making decisions that will affect at least 600 million people, and potentially hundreds of millions more, in complete secrecy, and this is unacceptable.
EU-Thailand FTA negotiations: What fate for access to medicines?
Health Action International Europe, Oxfam and Action against AIDS Germany have serious concerns over the repercussions the EU-Thailand FTA will have on access to medicines in Thailand and the region.