Avoid Patent Clauses in Trade Treaties that can Kill Millions

Credit: BigstockBy Martin KhorPENANG, Feb 27 2017 (IPS)Recently a very interesting article on why there are inequalities in access to health care and how  medicine prices are beyond the reach of many people was published in The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world.The authors, who are eminent experts in development and public health, pinpointed trade and investment agreements for being one of the greatest health threats.Reading their powerful commentary leads one to think:  What’s the point of having wonderful medicines if most people on Earth cannot get to use them?   And isn’t it immoral that medicines that can save your life can’t be given to you because the cost is so high?The article picks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), together with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) as the worst culprits.  It says the TPP’s chapter on intellectual property is “particularly intrusive to health and restricts access to the latest advances in medicines, diagnostic tools and other life-saving medical technologies.”Martin KhorThis agreement, say the authors, contains many provisions that “strengthen patent protection that provides monopolies and inevitably leads to high prices.”   They mention provisions that extend the patent terms beyond 20 years required by the WTO; lower the criteria of what can be granted  patents; and “data exclusivity” provisions that put up barriers to generic manufacturers enter...

Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - February 27, 2017 Category: Global & Universal Authors: Martin Khor Tags: Economy & Trade Headlines Health Trade & Investment Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) World Trade Organization (WTO) Source Type: news