February 28, 2006

Cut Drug Tariffs?

February 28, 2006—The U.S., Switzerland and Singapore are proposing that countries importing medicine ditch tariffs as part of a new World Trade Organization (WTO) deal. A joint report by the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute says removing these fees would save thousands of lives. The U.S. is under pressure to help cut the cost of the drugs by quite another means—loosening patent protections.