RCEP draft moots tough curbs on cheap medicines

According to a report, the draft Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, being negotiated by 16 countries, in its current form could reduce access to affordable medicines in many developing countries.

How?

The chapter on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is part of the RCEP agreement. This chapter contains proposals for patent extensions, restrictive rules on exceptions to copyright, and dozens of other anti-consumer measures.

• These provisions illustrate the power of rights-holder groups to use secret trade negotiations to influence democratic decisions that impact access to knowledge, the freedom to innovate and the right to health in negative ways.

 India’s opposition to RCEP proposals is on:

• Patent extensions.
• Restrictive rules on copyright.
•  Anti-consumer measures.

 Concerns:

The draft proposals will compel governments to commit to newer Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights provisions like TRIPS plus — including the Patent Law Treaty (Geneva, 2000), which involve harmonisation in the examination of patent applications and requirements of patentability.

About Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership:

The RCEP is among the proposed three mega FTAs in the world so far – the other two being the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership, led by the US) and the TTIP (Trans -atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the US and the EU).

• The agreement (FTA) is proposed between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with which ASEAN has existing FTAs (Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand).
• RCEP negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia.
• RCEP is viewed as an alternative to the TPP trade agreement, which includes the United States but excludes China.