U.S. Shifts Stance on Drug Pricing in Pacific Trade Pact Talks, Document Reveals
Source: NY Times
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
WASHINGTON — Facing resistance from its Pacific trading partners, the Obama administration is no longer demanding protection for pharmaceutical prices under the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to a newly leaked “transparency” annex of the proposed trade accord.
But American negotiators are still pressing participating governments to open up the process that sets reimbursement rates for drugs and medical devices. Public health professionals, generic drugmakers and activists opposed to the trade deal, which is still being negotiated, contend that it will empower big pharmaceutical firms to command higher reimbursement rates in the United States and abroad, at the expense of consumers.
They also say that it could expose international markets to the direct consumer appeals that Americans have experienced.
“It was very clear to everyone except the U.S. that the initial proposal wasn’t about transparency; it was about getting market access for the pharmaceutical industry by giving them greater access to and influence over decision-making processes around pricing and reimbursement,” said Deborah Gleeson, a lecturer at the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University in Australia, who has seen the leaked document. And even though it has been toned down, she said, “I think it’s a shame that the annex is still being considered at all for the T.P.P.”
FULL story at link.
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Thanks to cali for the original post!
Heather Bresch, chief executive of the generic drug maker Mylan, said that the proposed trade accord would help brand-name pharmaceuticals.
JEFF SWENSEN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
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