Big Pharma's sweetheart TPP deal; Wikileaks reveal another huge teade deal: TiSA

[Panich52]

TPP may give drug companies sweetheart deal.

Politico: "The pharmaceutical industry has been pressing the Obama administration to insist that the Trans-Pacific Partnership include 12 years of monopoly pricing power for the makers of [biologic] drugs ... [That's] unanimously opposed by the other 11 nations ... Some trade-deal supporters go so far as to say they would rethink their support if biologics don't get the full protection."

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/big-pharma-trade-deal-118664.html



Wikileaks released documents about another pending trade deal.

TNR's David Dayen: "...the largest agreement is also the least heralded: the 51-nation Trade in Services Agreement ... Though member parties insist that the agreement would simply stop discrimination against foreign service providers, the text shows that TiSA would restrict how governments can manage their public laws through an effective regulatory cap..."

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121967/whats-really-going-trade-services-agreement

[djean111]

1. Tell me again how this benefits poorer countries?

"The pharmaceutical industry has been pressing the Obama administration to insist that the Trans-Pacific Partnership include 12 years of monopoly pricing power for the makers of drugs ... unanimously opposed by the other 11 nations ... Some trade-deal supporters go so far as to say they would rethink their support if biologics don't get the full protection."

Maybe those poor Vietnamese farmers own stock in Big Pharma?

[erronis]

2. I'll take a bumpkins uneducated guess at the answer your question -

Pharma would be able to choose which countries it could move its operations to - countries with the poorest records of environmental controls and countries where pharma would be easiest able to influence government with some pittance 10's of million$.

Of course, the factories set up in Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. wouldn't really hire many, if any, locals, so the benefit would go totally to the normal money men - the local, provincial, national politicians and other greasy fingers.

[djean111]

4. You win! Plus, as a bonus - the cost of drugs goes up for EVERYBODY.

Countries cannot negotiate under the TPP or TTIP. Medicare cannot negotiate right now. Think how much money Medicare would save if it could negotiate drug prices like insurance companies can. But no, we just hear how we have to cut services. And - I don't think insurance companies care all that much any more, they can just keep raising premiums and of course now we are forced to pay them.

The situation is all fucked up in the favor of the corporations and the "trade" (corporate) agreements will just make it worse.
Sniveling assertions by some that the poor people will be better off - no, sorry, that is not the plan.

[raouldukelives]

3. Nope, wouldn't be shocked if a few rich Vietnamese farmers did OTOH.

And I am sure it will trickle down to them, just not quite as strong as the trickle we currently enjoy.