More ACA hypocrisy from Obama and the new Democrats, (formerly the Republican Party )
May 14, 2015 04:52:17 #
Our Prevaricator-in-Chief, along with the Republican prostitutes constituting his new posse, are about to stick it to the people who depend on inexpensive generic drugs, via the Fast Track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I just happened across this article, and thought I would share it.
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This is the fifth time that I've written about the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the last month. I'm still stunned at the way President Obama is trying to cram it through Congress and how little the public knows.
It's going to affect all of our lives, so we have to stay informed. Here are links to my previous articles.
Apr. 20: Fast Track to Secrecy
Apr. 21: GOP to Obama: Import More Foreign Workers
Apr. 27: Brilliant Economists Fail Econ 101
Apr. 28: Who Needs Free Trade?
On top of everything else, now it seems TPP will probably drive up everyone's drug prices.
According to draft TPP documents obtained by WikiLeaks, the deal's Intellectual Property provisions will delay the introduction of low-cost generic versions of many important medicines.
This means that here in the U.S., we'll all have to pay more for some of our prescriptions. In much of the developing world, the consequences could be deadly.
The AIDS research group amfAR and medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders both say the changes in TPP could cost many lives.
This is serious. Despite disagreeing with him on other issues, I've long admired President George W. Bush for working to bring HIV under control in Africa. He showed how relatively modest investments could make a huge difference.
TPP, if it passes, could reverse that achievement.
that can help you build your own million-dollar portfolio ...
The documents WikiLeaks obtained are the intellectual property or patent provisions of TPP. They show a patent land-grab by the big pharmaceutical companies. Industry leaders want to keep every protection they have now and add a whole lot more.
Here is how it would work, according to Vox.
The TPP is expected to expand what could be patented. It could require countries to offer patent protection for plants and animals, which had been specifically excluded from previous trade agreements.
It would also allow pharmaceutical companies to patent "new uses or methods of using a known product," which could allow drug companies to extend the effective term of patent protection by getting multiple patents on the same drug.
If generic manufacturers or public interest groups believe a patent goes too far, they can go to court to have it invalidated. But the TPP would tilt the playing field in favor of drug companies. A "presumption of validity" would require challengers to prove the patent is invalid, rather than asking drug companies to prove their patents are consistent with the law.
The TPP is expected to require countries to extend patent protections to compensate for delays in drug approval. The amfAR report states, "Such terms have been common in [free trade agreements] in the past, but the TPP weakens the required justification for what constitutes an 'unreasonable delay,' making it easier for pharmaceutical companies to demand longer patent extensions and further delay the entrance of generic competition."
In what might be the most controversial requirement, the TPP could bar the makers of certain types of generic drugs from using data from incumbent drug companies' clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of their own products.
Known as "data exclusivity," this rule forces generic drug companies to perform their own expensive, time consuming, and unnecessary clinical trials. US law currently grants data exclusivity for 12 years, and Obama trade representatives are reportedly pushing to require other TPP countries to adopt the same requirement.
To be clear, drug companies who invest in the research to develop new drugs deserve the patent protection they receive now. I think it should continue.
However, using secret TPP provisions to grant themselves even greater advantages is outrageous, in my opinion. This will not help anyone except drug executives.
Ironically, President Obama, the great health care reformer, thinks all this is fine but he tried his best to make sure we wouldn't know about it.
Thanks to WikiLeaks, he failed.
***
Keep in mind, the TPP agreement has additional chapters we haven't seen yet. You can bet they contain more secret handouts and favors to various special interests. Today's Senate vote was a big step toward stopping this outrage, but the fight isn't over.
Are you as outraged as I am? If so, tell your Senators and representative. I'd like to know what you think, too. Just leave a comment on our website or send me an e-mail.
http://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/paying-for-tpp-with-higher-drug-prices-20522?FIELD9=1
***
This is the fifth time that I've written about the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the last month. I'm still stunned at the way President Obama is trying to cram it through Congress and how little the public knows.
It's going to affect all of our lives, so we have to stay informed. Here are links to my previous articles.
Apr. 20: Fast Track to Secrecy
Apr. 21: GOP to Obama: Import More Foreign Workers
Apr. 27: Brilliant Economists Fail Econ 101
Apr. 28: Who Needs Free Trade?
On top of everything else, now it seems TPP will probably drive up everyone's drug prices.
According to draft TPP documents obtained by WikiLeaks, the deal's Intellectual Property provisions will delay the introduction of low-cost generic versions of many important medicines.
This means that here in the U.S., we'll all have to pay more for some of our prescriptions. In much of the developing world, the consequences could be deadly.
The AIDS research group amfAR and medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders both say the changes in TPP could cost many lives.
This is serious. Despite disagreeing with him on other issues, I've long admired President George W. Bush for working to bring HIV under control in Africa. He showed how relatively modest investments could make a huge difference.
TPP, if it passes, could reverse that achievement.
that can help you build your own million-dollar portfolio ...
The documents WikiLeaks obtained are the intellectual property or patent provisions of TPP. They show a patent land-grab by the big pharmaceutical companies. Industry leaders want to keep every protection they have now and add a whole lot more.
Here is how it would work, according to Vox.
The TPP is expected to expand what could be patented. It could require countries to offer patent protection for plants and animals, which had been specifically excluded from previous trade agreements.
It would also allow pharmaceutical companies to patent "new uses or methods of using a known product," which could allow drug companies to extend the effective term of patent protection by getting multiple patents on the same drug.
If generic manufacturers or public interest groups believe a patent goes too far, they can go to court to have it invalidated. But the TPP would tilt the playing field in favor of drug companies. A "presumption of validity" would require challengers to prove the patent is invalid, rather than asking drug companies to prove their patents are consistent with the law.
The TPP is expected to require countries to extend patent protections to compensate for delays in drug approval. The amfAR report states, "Such terms have been common in [free trade agreements] in the past, but the TPP weakens the required justification for what constitutes an 'unreasonable delay,' making it easier for pharmaceutical companies to demand longer patent extensions and further delay the entrance of generic competition."
In what might be the most controversial requirement, the TPP could bar the makers of certain types of generic drugs from using data from incumbent drug companies' clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of their own products.
Known as "data exclusivity," this rule forces generic drug companies to perform their own expensive, time consuming, and unnecessary clinical trials. US law currently grants data exclusivity for 12 years, and Obama trade representatives are reportedly pushing to require other TPP countries to adopt the same requirement.
To be clear, drug companies who invest in the research to develop new drugs deserve the patent protection they receive now. I think it should continue.
However, using secret TPP provisions to grant themselves even greater advantages is outrageous, in my opinion. This will not help anyone except drug executives.
Ironically, President Obama, the great health care reformer, thinks all this is fine but he tried his best to make sure we wouldn't know about it.
Thanks to WikiLeaks, he failed.
***
Keep in mind, the TPP agreement has additional chapters we haven't seen yet. You can bet they contain more secret handouts and favors to various special interests. Today's Senate vote was a big step toward stopping this outrage, but the fight isn't over.
Are you as outraged as I am? If so, tell your Senators and representative. I'd like to know what you think, too. Just leave a comment on our website or send me an e-mail.
http://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/paying-for-tpp-with-higher-drug-prices-20522?FIELD9=1
May 14, 2015 13:06:03 #
Loki wrote:
Our Prevaricator-in-Chief, along with the Republic... (show quote)
First of all: let me say, I like your snarky reference to the New Democrats, funny.
I assume that this is to ensure that Obama has access to credit from China, wouldn't you?
May 14, 2015 17:45:49 #
Dummy Boy wrote:
First of all: let me say, I like your snarky reference to the New Democrats, funny.
I assume that this is to ensure that Obama has access to credit from China, wouldn't you?
I assume that this is to ensure that Obama has access to credit from China, wouldn't you?
He should start getting payments from Mexico, since half their damn populations lives here and collects benefits.
Obama stated something to the effect that "once people see what's in this fast track/TPP they'll support it. If he's so f*cking sure of himself, why is the entire thing classified? Why not bring it out in the open for debate? I guess this is another "pass it so we can find out what's in it" moment. This is not just about Obama. This will affect future Administrations also. The Senate Prostitutes Union, aka the RINOs, are so enamored of their little Inside-the-Beltway Camelot, and so concerned with being re-elected they would blow a syphilitic porcupine to stay in office.
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