The Free Trade Agreement talks continue between India and the EU. As reported in the Pharmalot blog, the EU has made concilliatory gestures in the talks. Firstly, the EU says there will be "no limit" on India's capacity to produce drugs for export.
Secondly, the EU will change an internal custom regulation that led to seizures of India produced drugs that were passing through the EU on their way to Brazil or Africa. The EU commits to making no further seizures of this type if the new agreement is passed.
The seizures were reportedly made at the behest of EU producers, but India's pharmaceutical industry denies that any of these drugs were covered under any patents in the importing markets or in India. India trade officials aren't happy with the language in the proposed agreement and still plan to press their complaint with the WTO.
So this issue is far from resolved, but it appears to me that India is pressing where it has an advantage and the EU is trying to break it.
Certainly, I expect patient advocate organizations that would like to see greater accessibility of poor and developing nations to cheap pharmaceuticals to be in India's court.
Posted by Bruce Lehr May 9th 2010.
India and Brazil carry through on their threat/ promise and bring drug case versus EU policy to WTO.
http://www.silobreaker.com/india-brazil-drag-eu-to-wto-5_2263439275989139502
Posted by: Bruce Lehr | 05/13/2010 at 06:06 PM