Date: 18 March 2011
Source: Health Action International (Europe)
All eyes are on the European Union (EU)-India trade agreement, and the
repercussions it will have on access to medicines in India and for the
developing countries that rely on Indian-produced generic medicines.
At the same time, the EU is in the process of negotiating other trade
agreements that could harm or hinder access to medicines, such as this week`s
negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur countries.
The negotiating positions of Mercosur countries will almost certainly be
affected by how India reacts to the EU`s push for new heights of intellectual
property (IP) standards. Indian resistance to EU demands for over-reaching IP
standards will be crucial for the protection of health and development far
beyond its own borders.
EU proposals for IP provisions on data exclusivity, patent extensions, IP
enforcement, and in particular, border measures can have disastrous effects on
access to medicines; weakening competition from generic medicines and
sustaining monopoly prices.
HAI Europe will be closely monitoring the progress
of the EU-India and the EU-Mercosur talks to ensure that access to medicines is
not trumped by trade.
