Berlin/Brussels/Geneva, Monday 24 March 2014

A report by the Commons Network and civil society partners shows that the pharmaceutical industry's wish list for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is detrimental for public health, will increase the cost of medicines and undermines democratic processes.

Download the report :
> "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Trade Agreement (TTIP) - A Civil Society Response to the Big Pharma wish list" (pdf, 1 300 Ko)

Press release

A report released on 24 March 2014 by the Commons Network and civil society partners shows that the pharmaceutical industry's wish list for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is detrimental for public health, will increase the cost of medicines and undermines democratic processes. The TTIP is a trade and investment agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and the USA.

"Big Pharma's wish list is testimony of a blatant disregard for democratic processes and public policies." Says Sophie Bloemen, Commons Network coordinator. "Companies are seeking to expand the length of medicines patent monopolies, to undermine Member States' regulations to contain costs of medicines and to roll back the recent moves by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) towards transparency on clinical trials data."

Their proposals come at a time when health systems are under extra pressure as a result of the financial crisis and when in some countries patients can no longer afford the medicines they need. "These secret negotiations give the industry a unique chance to push their agenda".

Of particular concern are the proposals to introduction of 'investor-to-state-dispute mechanism' that gives the pharmaceutical industry the right to sue governments over legitimate public policy decisions deemed harmful to their investments. This gives companies a legal mechanism to directly undermine government policies including those to protect public health. The tobacco industry for example has used such provisions to contest plain packaging requirements in Australia. One pharmaceutical company took Canada to court after the invalidation of patents on two of its products. "We do not want to see this possibility enshrined in European law," says Bloemen.

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the strongest corporate lobby forces on both sides of the Atlantic. Bloemen adds: "European governments should resist corporate demands that are not in the interest of the European public and undermine sound democratic public policy making. Instead it should keep Big Pharma at an arms length and promote the common good."

©Commons Network, ISDB , HAI Europe, MiEF, Salud por Derecho, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) March 2014

Contact : info@commonsnetwork.eu

> Download the Press release (pdf, 471Ko)

> "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Trade Agreement  (TTIP) - A Civil Society Response to the Big Pharma wish list" (pdf, 1 300 Ko)