ACCESS to affordable medicines is a big concern in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and concerted efforts are in place to ensure that smaller economies like Malaysia will be given time to get adjusted, said a top United States trade official.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman said the discussions take into account the varied levels of development among the 12 countries at the discussion table.
On one side, there are the advanced economies like Australia, Canada, the US, Japan and Singapore, while on the other side are smaller economies like Malaysia, Peru, Mexico and Vietnam.
“We’re in dialogue on how to achieve those multiple objectives, which include affordable access with 80 per cent of our prescriptions being generics.”
In the case of the TPP, talks are centred on ensuring that new medicines are being developed with affordable access, said Froman during his recent trip here.
“One of the ways is to take into account countries with different stages of development. That is the conversation we are having about how to target intellectual property obligations.”
On suggestions that “big pharma guys” have been providing advice to the US government, Froman said: “In the US, we have a robust pharmaceuticals industry, generic and active non-government organisations (NGOs) keen on public health and we work with all our stakeholders domestically as well as internationally.
“Ours is a clear advisory system — from farmers, state governments, NGOs (development as well as health).”
Transparency in the ongoing talks is also a main public grouse and Malaysia has sought for greater transparency, but Froman said systems vary among the 12 countries.
“In the US, for instance, we have more than 700 advisers, we also have 1,300 briefings in the Congress for TPP alone and we also put them on our website and we publish blogs on key issues for civil society.”
During his brief stopover, Froman met with members of the parliamentary caucus on TPP.
Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan subsequently tweeted that he had a good discussion with Froman, to which the Froman thanked him for his input, saying the “TPP will be a better deal for it”.
Responding to a comment by a former World Trade Organisation head that the TPP has reversed the momentum of a multilateral trading system, Froman argued that the TPP and trade in services agreement liberalise two-thirds of the global economy and promotes higher standards.
