<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" class="">Two articles below</i><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" class=""><span style="font-size: 15px;" class=""><i class="">…</i></span></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><i class=""><br class=""></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tpp-trade-deal-protections-drug-companies_55a9469de4b0caf721b2b3bf" style="color: purple;" class="">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tpp-trade-deal-protections-drug-companies_55a9469de4b0caf721b2b3bf</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><b class=""><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(17, 17, 17);" class="">House Democrats, Advocates Blast Trade Deal Protections For Drug Companies<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: rgb(17, 17, 17);" class="">Is the Obama administration advancing the interests of the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of drug affordability?<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class="">The Huffington Post<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class="">By Daniel Marans<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class="">July 17, 2015<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">House Democrats and health care advocates blasted drug patent provisions in a current draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on Friday, criticizing the Obama administration for advancing policies that could drive up drug global drug costs.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), together with health advocates and a representative of the generic drug maker Mylan, called on the Obama administration to change aspects of the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact that would strengthen pharmaceutical patent monopolies. Speaking to reporters on a conference call, they said the measures would make it harder for generic drugs to come to market in countries that sign the agreement, including the United States.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The TPP agreement's chapter on intellectual property for drugs “confirms some of the worst fears of health care advocates,”said DeLauro, who has access to the agreement's classified draft text. If the current draft of TPP becomes law, she warned, “You can freeze cheaper generic drugs out of the market.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">In addition to the impact this could have on lower- and middle-income countries involved in TPP negotiations, like Vietnam, the provisions “will mean increased costs for Medicare and Medicaid, which will have a devastating effect on seniors" in the U.S., DeLauro said.<strong class=""><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class=""> </span></strong><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">One thing fueling critics' concerns is a mandatory “patent linkage” provision in the draft text, which would prevent governments from approving generic drugs if there is any possibility that they violate a patent. This could dissuade generic drug makers from entering poorer or smaller countries, since overcoming stringent patent barriers has less of a payoff than in larger or wealthier nations like the United States.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Although the United States already has mandatory “patent linkage” requirements in place, the requirements in the current TPP draft are broader, said Nawel Rojkjaer, senior director of international affairs for Mylan. Currently, generic drug makers are only required to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about patent disputes. TPP’s patent linkage would preclude them from entering the market entirely if a pharmaceutical company argues that they are violating a patent, she said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">HIV/AIDS advocates are particularly worried that TPP could limit access to generic drugs made in developing nations, which have been crucial to fighting HIV/AIDS.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“We have achieved the target of having 15 million people in on treatment by 2015,” said Brian Honermann, senior research advisor at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. “That goal would never have been able to be achieved if we did not have access to generic drugs. If the intellectual property standards that are being proposed in the TPP were the standards in 2002 and 2003, it would have prohibited India and Thailand from creating the generic drugs we have been relying on to treat HIV.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The advocates consider the current pharmaceutical patents component of TPP a repudiation of the so-called<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/11/business/11trade.html?pagewanted=all" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">“May 10th” agreement of 2007</span></a>, which the George W. Bush administration negotiated with House Democrats to clear passage for trade deals. In addition to unprecedented protections for labor and environmental rights,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/factsheets/2007/asset_upload_file127_11319.pdf" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">the accord ensured greater flexibility</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>on patent protections for developing countries.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The TPP deal would depart from the May 10th agreement's high standards, argues <a href="http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/op-eds/open-letter-progressives-tpp-not-yet-most-progressive-trade-agreement-history" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;" class="">Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.)</span></a>, who helped negotiate the 2007 agreement. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 15pt; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p class=""> </o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Friday's call precedes the next round of TPP negotiations in Maui, Hawaii, which will take place from July 24 to 27. Schakowsky said the meeting could be “the last chance we have to protect the public health.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The public first caught wind of the drug patent protections in a May 11 draft of the TPP’s intellectual property chapter, <a href="http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/06/tpp-deal-leaked-pharma-000126" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;" class="">leaked to Politico</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in late June. The Obama administration has since insisted that the draft is still being negotiated and remains subject to change.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">"The negotiations on intellectual property are complex and continually evolving,” Trevor Kincaid, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative, <a href="http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/06/tpp-deal-leaked-pharma-000126" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;" class="">told Politico</span></a>. “On pharmaceutical products, we are working closely with stakeholders, Congress, and partner countries to develop an approach that aims to make affordable life-saving medicine more widely available while creating incentives for the development of new treatments and cures. Striking this important balance is at the heart of our work.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">But Schakowsky said “virtually nothing that has been suggested by members of Congress in a very thoughtful and serious way" has been incorporated into the evolving draft text.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“I have been very public about my concerns on the pharma chapter and have had no response at all from the U.S. Trade Representative about it,” she added.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Congress<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/24/obama-trade-win_n_7655224.html" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;" class="">granted Obama trade promotion authority</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in late June, enabling the TPP and any other trade deals to be passed in an up-or-down vote in the next 6 years, without the possibility of filibusters and amendments.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">But the president only received the fast-track authority after a prolonged legislative battle that exposed a bitter rift between the administration and House Democrats. After Democratic lawmakers helped defeat a companion bill key to the passage of trade promotion authority in the Senate,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/15/nancy-pelosi-taa_n_7590154.html" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(44, 145, 120); border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none;" class="">Obama circumvented them entirely</span></a>, negotiating final passage with House Republican leadership.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Still, Schakowsky argues that public health advocates have leverage over the Obama administration on the issue of drug affordability, since many of the 11 other nations involved in TPP negotiations have also objected to the patent protections.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">The protections for pharmaceutical patent monopolies reflect the U.S. negotiating position “virtually exclusively,” Schakowsky said. “Having looked at the document, it is filled with the names of countries objecting to the U.S. position.”</span></p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">Washington Trade Daily <o:p class=""></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">July 20, 2015<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'ArialMT,BoldItalic';" class="">Affordable Access to Medicines<o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">Two House Democrats Friday raised concerns that the Obama Administration is pushing drug<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">patent provisions in the TransPacific Partnership negotiations that would make it harder for consumers in<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">the United States and the other 11 TPP countries to find affordable generic medicines (WTD, 7/17/15).<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn) said TPP negotiating documents<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">they have seen made clear the United States is fighting for stringent data exclusivity provisions that<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">would benefit US pharmaceutical companies to the detriment of low-income consumers.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">And the United States mostly is standing alone in its insistence on provisions like 12-year data<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">exclusivity for biologics and the expanded use of “ever-greening,” which allows drug companies to hold<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">on to their patents by making minor changes.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">The fact the US side has virtually no support among other TPP members on the access to<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">medicines issue will give Congress some leverage to convince the White House to change its proposals,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">Ms. Schakowsky said. But so far the Administration has ignored concerns raised by members on access<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">to medicines and other outstanding issues, the two lawmakers stated.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">With a key TPP trade ministers meeting later this week, the members said they will keep “shining<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-family: CalistoMT;" class="">a spotlight” on the issue.</span></div></body></html>