Skip to main content

Medicines in India likely to be costlier due to RCEP trade pact

Chemists

The 19th round of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a mega free trade agreement being discussed among 16 countries including India, concluded last week. However, the key issues holding the final text of these negotiations don't seem to be getting resolved. These negotiations, which started in 2012, are largely considered to be anti-farmer, anti-poor, pro-corporations, and often undermine the socio-economic growth of less developed countries.

One of the worst affected commodities of RCEP will be cheaper generic medicines. The negotiations are held in utmost secrecy and without any communication to the general populace. Though the draft of RCEP negotiations has never been made public, its chapter on intellectual property was leaked in October 2015. The chapter contained some frightening provisions favouring big pharmaceutical companies. The provisions allow these companies to increase their monopoly over medicines for a longer period, shooting up their prices many times over. The text showed that two countries — Japan and South Korea — have asked for extension of patents term from the current 20 years. This means a longer period of market monopoly for just one company for a particular drug.

Continue reading....

ᐧ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isotretinoin in India: A tragedy in the offing

Isotretinoin in India: A tragedy in the offing Wednesday, March 28, 2007 08:00 IST  Seema Thakral Isotretinoin is the drug of choice for severe calcitrant cystic acne vulgaris, which often causes scarring and depression from disfigurement. Isotretinoin has been called "the greatest medical advance of the 1980's." A majority of patients with acne are permanently cleared after a four to five months course of treatment. It has also been used off-label for a variety of oncology uses including: cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, squamous cell cancer of the skin, juvenile chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and neuroblastoma. However, the drug is a proved teratogen and carries a significant risk of birth defects, if it taken during pregnancy. Birth defects, which have been documented following isotretinoin exposure include abnormalities of the face, eyes, ears, skull, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and thymus and parathyroid glands. There is an increased ris...
Post a Comment
Read more

Combination Vaccine for Kids withdrawn

A vaccine that combines conventional MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) with Chikenpox has been withdrawn in the United States due to a higher rate of seizures in children. In a study children aged 12 to 23 months who received the combined MMR cum Chickenpox vaccine had double the rate of seizures compared to children who got separate vaccine for MMR and chickenpox. This equates to one additional case of convulsion per 2000 vaccinations.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Influence of TheTourniquet on blood draw

[1] Various methods are used to obtain specimens for hematocrit determination in neonates. We evaluated arterial sampling and found this method to be acceptable. Arterial values correlated closely with simultaneously obtained venous samples. Venous blood obtained with a tourniquet had a significantly higher hematocrit than that obtained without a tourniquet. [2] Influence of tourniquet application on venous blood sampling for serum chemistry, hematological parameters, leukocyte activation and erythrocyte mechanical properties Background: Venous blood sampling is usually performed using a tourniquet to help locate and define peripheral veins to achieve successful and safe venipuncture. Despite widespread usage of tourniquets for venipuncture by medical and laboratory staff, very few are aware of the effects of tourniquet application on laboratory parameters. In addition, definitive guidelines regarding when and how to use a tourniquet for blood sampling are lacking. The aim ...
Post a Comment
Read more