[e-drug] USA - Australia FTA; Impact on pharmaceuticals (2)

Dr_Ken_Harvey · May 20, 2004, 5:19am

E-DRUG: USA - Australia FTA; Impact on pharmaceuticals (2)
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Dear Colleagues,

On Tuesday, Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile and his US counterpart,
Robert Zoellick, signed the USA - Australia FTA.

This is despite two on-going parliamentary inquiries in Australia that
have received over 700 public submissions, the majority of which oppose
the FTA, especially because of concern over its impact on the Australian
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Written submissions & oral testimony (Hansard transcripts) to these
inquires can be accessed at:

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/usafta/index.htm

and: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/freetrade_ctte

The battle to oppose the FTA has now focused on the Australian senate
where the Labor opposition, Greens, Democrats and independent senators
hold the balance of power. The Senate can block FTA enabling legislation
and thus scuttle the FTA (see press articles below).

I urge all those concerned about the global implications of the USA push
for bilaterally negotiated TRIPS Plus agreements to assist us in
opposing the USA - Australia FTA.

The key E-mail addresses to lobby are as follows:

Labor: M.Latham.MP@aph.gov.au; Julia.Gillard.MP@aph.gov.au;
senator.cook@aph.gov.au; senator.conroy@aph.gov.au

Greens: senator.nettle@aph.gov.au

Democrats: senator.ridgeway@aph.gov.au

Independents: senator.murphy@aph.gov.au; senator.harradine@aph.gov.au;
senator.lees@aph.gov.au; senator.harris@aph.gov.au

At this time I keep in mind the following quotations from Edmund Burke
who said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good
men do nothing".

And the German pathologist and health activist Rudolph Virchow who said,
"Medicine is a social science and politics is nothing more than medicine
practiced on a larger stage".

Cheers
Ken

Dr. Ken Harvey, Council Member, Australian Consumers Association;
Consultant, Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd.;
Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, La Trobe University;
http://users.bigpond.net.au/medreach/
Mobile: 0419 181910

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Labor warns it may block trade deal
By Tim Colebatch, Marian Wilkinson, Washington
The Age
May 20, 2004

Picture: Mark Vaile and Robert Zoellick sign the free trade deal in
Washington.

Labor may block the free trade agreement with the United States because
of changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the party warned
yesterday.

With the US Congress expected to approve the agreement in July, and the
Australian Democrats and Greens committed to voting against it, it will
be up to Labor to determine whether the Howard Government's biggest
trade initiative becomes law.

Trade experts expect Labor ultimately to endorse the pact, but
Opposition trade spokesman Stephen Conroy said the party was still
uncommitted, with concerns about costs to the PBS, quarantine laws and
the film, TV and internet industries.

The trade deal could face another barrier after a spokeswoman for US
Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry said he had yet to decide
whether he would support it.

A group of experts on pharmaceutical policy, including two former
members of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, warned
yesterday that changes to appease US drug companies could lift the cost
of the scheme to taxpayers by 30 per cent, or $1.5 billion a year.

"The text of the agreement is unbalanced and most of the measures
increase the pricing power of US drug companies operating in Australia,"
the group said in a submission to the Senate committee examining the deal.

"It is inconceivable, based on past practice, that they will not use
that new pricing power."

Senator Conroy said senior officials this week were unable to explain to
the Senate committee how the new pharmaceutical review system would work.

"There is still no decision on the structure and composition of the
review process," he said.

"This is a make-or-break issue for us. We believe we have the world's
best system and nothing in the trade deal should be allowed to undermine
it."
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Topic	Replies	Views
[e-drug] Australia: FTA and PBS now! e-drug	14	November 30, 2003
[e-drug] What you don't know, but should, about the Australian-US FTA e-drug	15	August 19, 2004
[e-drug] Comments on Sydney WTO meeting e-drug	16	November 24, 2002
[e-drug] Response to the crisis in the Australian PBS e-drug	14	December 3, 2000
[e-drug] USA pressure on Australia's affordable drugs scheme (cont'd) e-drug	18	April 1, 2003

[e-drug] USA - Australia FTA; Impact on pharmaceuticals (2)

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