India reflects on ramifications of joining Trans-Pacific Partnership

18 April 2016

Concerned at being sidelined from the USA-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, India is preparing to reach a deal this year amidst preparations to deal with the adverse impact, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

Though global opinion is sharply divided about the ramifications of the TPP, in India, the questions doing the rounds are does the TPP extend protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR); does it delay generic competition for life saving drugs; and does it keep medication prices high?

Citing examples to buttress their point, TPP opponents state that in Australia, evergreening patents have enabled pharmaceutical companies to prevent cost-cutting generic competition for nearly 50 years on some products. Moreover, in 2001, the cost of Gleevec, a breakthrough drug against leukemia, was $30,000 in the USA. After the patent holder obtained a new form patent for the drug, the price rose to $92,000 per year.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK