GPhA, Biosimilars Council pen open letter to President Obama on TPP
WASHINGTON — The Generic Pharmaceutical Association and the Biosimilars Council are taking on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. An open letter to President Barack Obama by the two organizations appeared Monday as an advertisement in the New York Times, charging that if TPP is approved by Congress in its current form, it will have a detrimental effect on consumers’ access to generic drugs.
“The current text only advances the interests of the brand industry, preventing market entry for lower-dose pharmaceuticals in a number of ways, including patent linkage, patent extensions and increased exclusivity periods,” the letter said. “Indeed the agreement includes language in direct conflict with the carefully crafted biosimilars laws — thus restricting the lower-cost versions of some of the most expensive products currently on the market.”
The GPhA also argues in the letter that the agreement would impact international patients who cannot afford brand-name drugs.
Monday's letter is the latest in the GPhA’s campaign against TPP — a trade pact between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam that the president has made a legislative priority and is currently awaiting congressional approval. In December, GPhA Chairman and CEO Ralph Neas expressed his concerns about the trade agreement, and recently two lawmakers — Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., have outlined their objections, which, like GPhA's, include lengthy exclusivity periods and changes to the approval process.
“As we work to promote trade around the world, we simply cannot let this flawed framework stand and potentially serve as a precedent for future agreements,” Monday’s letter said. “We, therefore, respectfully urge you to require that TPP contain language regarding patent linkage, patent extensions and exclusivity that would promote both innovation and access to affordable medicines.”