On May 10, 2019, the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) hosted a briefing for congressional staff and other stakeholders on the twelfth anniversary of the May 10 Agreement, the bipartisan agreement to reopen the Colombia, Panama, Peru and South Korea trade agreements to address labor, environment and access to medicines issues.
The briefing, which included remarks by Representative Earl Blumenauer, Chair of the House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee, examined NAFTA 2.0’s (USMCA) pharmaceutical provisions which, as drafted, favor the branded pharmaceutical industry over expanded access to competitive generic and biosimilar medicines. Additional panelists:
- Timothy Keeler, Partner, International Trade, Mayer Brown, LLP
- Laura Peralta-Schulte, Senior Government Relations Advocate, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
- Thomas Bollyky, Director, Global Health Program, Foreign Relations
During the conversation, the panelists focused on the health and economic impact of NAFTA 2.0’s (USMCA) pharmaceutical provisions, including the potential impact on drug prices in the United States, the ability of Mexican patients to access affordable medicines and negative correlation between increased pharmaceutical IP provision in trade agreements and the U.S. trade balance.
To view photos from the briefing, see the Facebook photo album.
By Erica Klinger, AAM Marketing Director