Activists irked by RCEP talks over pharma patents

MUMBAI: Public health activists and patient groups have raised serious concerns over intellectual property (IP) provisions in the ongoing negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), charging Japan and South Korea of pushing a TRIPS-plus regime that would expand and extend monopolies for pharma MNCs, and undermine generic competition. This, in effect, would impact generic competition that is critical for lowering medicines’ prices, and hence keep them unaffordable for millions of patients across the developing world.

By resisting constant pressure in the past and safeguarding its generic industry, India — often referred to as ‘a pharmacy of the developing world’, has become a leading global supplier of affordable

generic medicines for HIV, TB, malaria and other infectious diseases.

In a letter to Union commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu, activists say if the proposed provisions are accepted, it will be a major setback for public health safeguards under Indian patent laws. Japan and South Korea reportedly continue to push India and Asean member states to agree to IP provisions that expand and introduce new monopolies for pharmaceutical corporations, including data exclusivity, patent term extension and stringent IP enforcement.

These provisions are referred to as TRIPS-plus, and go beyond India’s obligations under the World Trade Organization’s agreement on the Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights, or TRIPS, according to industry experts.