LTE: Support the Trans Pacific Partnership
Reader says negotiations will bring "great opportunities"
Dear Editor,
With another round of negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership just days away, I wanted to express my support for this trade agreement as long as our researchers are protected.
The Trans Pacific Partnership will bring great opportunities for the biopharmaceuticals industry by allowing for trade with countries such as Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. But even with an increased ability for trade, the biopharmaceuticals industry would be endangered without the necessary precautions. These precautions include securing a high-standards agreement that protects intellectual property rights and the confidentiality of the research conducted by our scientists. These precautions should be for a period of 12 years, just as currently done under U.S. law.
We should absolutely take advantage of the opportunity to become a larger part of the global marketplace, however, we must proceed with caution. I urge negotiators to broker a deal that protects the very people that save and improve our lives through biopharmaceuticals.
M. David Skiles
Nina Woolley
3:10 pm on Saturday, September 8, 2012
The TPP threatens access to life-saving treatment for millions of HIV/AIDS patients across the world.
A leaked draft of the TPP reveals that the U.S. wants to extend drug patents, keeping generic drugs out of the market for longer. The U.S. also wants to make it easier to patent new forms of old drugs, even if they are not more effective. Additionally, the U.S. is promoting data exclusivity, which means that generic manufacturers could not use existing clinical trial data about the safety and efficacy of drugs.
Although big pharmaceutical companies may win, millions of HIV patients worldwide will lose.
Due to competition from generics, the cost of first-line antiretroviral therapy dropped from $10,000 per person per year in 2000 to roughly $60 today. According to Doctors Without Borders, 80% of donor-funded anti-AIDS drugs are generics, as are 92% of the drugs used to treat children with HIV.
In the face of increasing drug resistance, the only way to reach an “AIDS-free generation” is to promote innovation and access to affordable medicines. In trying to expand beyond the existing patent laws put forth in the 1995 Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the TPP is harmful to millions.