November 23, 2011

Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement Could Hurt Global AIDS Fight

The Asia-Pacific trade agreement currently being negotiated by U.S. trade representatives may hamper international efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, Bloomberg News reports. Under the agreement, patent protection for U.S. pharmaceutical companies that develop and manufacture HIV meds would be strengthened in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries such as Australia, Chile, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and others. As a result, new U.S. medications will get to TPP markets quicker, but HIV-positive people there will probably have to wait longer to access generic versions. Opponents argue that the trade deal will increase the cost of HIV/AIDS meds in the Asia-Pacific region, making it more difficult to achieve the goal of an “AIDS-free generation” recently supported by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

To read the Bloomberg article, click here.

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