28-Jun-2004
Reports highlight costs of free trade deal
Politicians from Australia’s opposition party could try to derail the Australian-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) after a Senate select committee claimed the deal could push up drugs prices and give copyright owners in Australia even more protection than they enjoy in the US.
25-May-2004
FTA undermines principle of affordable drugs for all
The Australian Senate should delay implementing legislation for the Free Trade Agreement with the US. Countries such as Brazil and Thailand, with large generic pharmaceutical industries, are looking to Australia for leadership in countering this US bilateral push for global uniformly of high pharmaceutical prices through aggressive intellectual property (IP) protection.
3-Apr-2004
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, UN Human Rights Commission, 60th session
The Special Rapporteur recommends that States be cautious about enacting “TRIPS plus” legislation without first understanding the impact of such legislation on the protection of human rights, including the right to health. Equally, wealthy countries should not pressure a developing country to implement “TRIPS plus” legislation, unless reliable evidence confirms that such legislation will enhance enjoyment of the right to health in the developing country.