TPP IP Meeting Yields No Major Progress On Pharmaceutical Provisions

摘要

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries on Oct. 2 wrapped up a nine-day intersessional meeting in Mexico on intellectual property (IP) issues, where they did not make significant progress in the area of pharmaceutical IP protections, sources said. Negotiators discussed pharmaceutical IPR for one day or less, and focused more on copyrights, geographical indications and enforcement, according to these sources. They said negotiators worked for roughly 14 hours each day. The U.S. did not come forward with a new proposal on this issue as some countries had expected, and also did not table a proposal on biologic drugs, sources said. Instead, the U.S. again explained to other TPP countries why its domestic law provides for 12 years of data exclusivity for biologic drugs, sources said, continuing an effort begun at the July round of negotiations in Malaysia (Inside U.S. Trade, July 26).