STAT+: A leaked version of a U.K.-India free trade deal sparks alarm over access to medicines
A leaked draft version of a trade agreement being negotiated between the United Kingdom and India has sparked concern among civil society and patient advocacy groups that the proposed deal would impede the supply of affordable generic medicines in poor countries around the world.
At issue is language that would impose changes in patent and regulatory laws in India and, in doing so, contrast with provisions in a World Trade Organization agreement governing the ability of governments to sidestep patents in order to widen the availability of medicines.
