Source: Pharma in Focus
20 September 2012
US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has given strong backing to a
trade pact that is meeting resistance from generic medicines, public health
and union lobbies in Australia.
Ms Clinton was responding to a request from the Pharmaceutical Research and
Manufacturers of America that the 29-chapter Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) agreement – the largest trade pact proposed in US history – contain
strong protections for US copyright and patents
She described the agreement as “central to America’s economic vision in
Asia”, adding, “By reducing market distortions and levelling the playing
field, the TPP will raise the bar for competition in a way that benefits
every economy in the region, whether it is an active partner in the TPP or
not.”
Anti-TPP lobbies in Australia fear it will lead to ‘evergreening’ of
patents and could damage the PBS but the Government has issued assurances
that it will not allow the scheme to be compromised. The TPP talks, which
have been through 14 rounds, have also been criticised as less than
transparent.
As the last round drew to a close, the Office of the US Trade
Representative said progress was made on market access, technical barriers
to trade, cross-border services and government procurement, with the nine
Pacific Rim countries involved continuing to focus on intellectual property
rights, labour and core issues such as those faced by manufacturers
