US generics group GPhA concerned about TPP impact on the sector

US Generics Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) president and chief executive Ralph Neas has expressed concerns about what he sees as a negative impact of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) between the USA, Japan and 10 other countries.

On Friday, the US House of Representatives voted 219 to 211 to grant President Barack Obama the “fast-track” trade authority he needs to conclude the accord, although this was scuppered, or at least delayed, due to a rejection by House Democrats of a related Bill to provide aid to workers who lose their jobs because of trade, ie, the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. The first measure cannot go to the President for his signature because the Senate version of the legislative package combined both trade adjustment and trade promotion, the New York Times noted.

Mr Neas issued a statement saying: “In today’s debate on the Trade Promotion Authority, members of the US House of Representatives rightly expressed strong reservations about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The US generic industry is active in markets around the world. American manufacturers of generic drugs need a TPP that will help them continue to grow their exports and create American jobs.