[Random-bits] Making enemies - the US/Thai FTA negotiations are bitter medicine

[James Love]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-love/making-enemies-the-
ust_b_13603.html

Making enemies - the US/Thai FTA negotiations are bitter medicine
January 11, 2006, James Love

It would be nice if US citizens had more information about US foreign
policy. If they did, they might understand why so many people hate us.

This week US trade officials are meeting with Thai negotiators in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, to hammer out details of a still secret deal
between the US and Thailand on what is inaccurately called a "Free
Trade Agreement," or FTA.

One of the main events will be a presentation by the US of its
demands for the intellectual property (IP) chapter of the agreement.
The FTA covers many issues, including arcane details of tariffs and
other "market access" measures. But the primary US objective in most
of these FTAs is to set global norms for the protection of
intellectual property.

In Thailand, like everywhere else, the US government doesn't really
negotiate the IP rules, it just announces the changes a country will
have to make in its laws. The message is simple: no IP chapter = no
"market access" agreement.

Even though the negotiations are secret, the people in Thailand
already have a pretty good idea what the US will demand -- policies
that will raise the prices of medicines. This is what the US has
already achieved in a string of similar agreements (Jordan 2000,
Chile 2003, Singapore 2003, Australia 2004, Bahrain 2004, CAFTA 2004,
Morocco 2004 and Peru 2005).

The details of these policies can be complex, but they are all aimed
at blocking generic competition and reducing the effectiveness of
government negotiations over drug prices. One such measure would
require generic drug companies to conduct their own clinic tests of
the safety and efficacy of new drugs -- something that is time-
consuming, costly and unethical. The US is also demanding extensions
of pharmaceutical patent terms beyond 20 years, procedures that make
it easier for foreign companies to obtain patents on medicines, and
obligations for linking patents (even those of dubious validity or
relevance) to drug registration. Some but not all of these measures
are part of US law now.

-----------sidebar--------------
Some seek to justify such policies on the grounds that they are
necessary to get other countries to share in the costs of R&D. But
many people are now proposing a better way -- global agreements that
focus on R&D rather than high drug prices, and which recognize both
innovation and access as important policy goals. (See:
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/rndtf/bridges042004.pdf
http://www.cptech.org/workingdrafts/rndsignonletter.html
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/rndtf/kenya11162005.html)

Until now, however, the United States government has unfortunately
opposed such approaches, stating in October 2003 that the World
Health Organization "should not be engaged in considering amendment
to existing international legal or trade instruments or new
instruments such as an international research and development (R&D)
treaty." The Bush administration is being asked to change its mind
this year. The WHO is expected to debate these new approaches in May
of 2006.
---------------------------------

In 2004, Thailand had a per capita income of $2,540, compared to
$41,400 for the United States. With a per capita income that is 94
percent lower than the United States, it is not surprising that
efforts to raise prices for medicine are not popular in Thailand.

This week there are big demonstrations about the proposed US/Thai FTA
in Chiang Mai. On Monday about eight thousand demonstrators took the
streets with colorful signs and costumes. On Tuesday some of the
demonstrators were beaten and arrested. This attracts a lot of
attention in South Eastern Asia. Few American citizens have a clue
what is going on.

Maybe people in the US don't care what our government does in
Thailand and other countries, and maybe if they did they would agree
that raising drug prices worldwide is a good way to advertise our
superior political and cultural values and maintain our high standard
of living. But I doubt it.

If successful, the US proposals will kill people, and not for the
first time.

In 1993, the Clinton Administration obtained an agreement with
Thailand that created barriers to the use of generic medicines and
gutted national price controls on patented medicines. Because of the
1993 agreement, Thailand was very slow to provide effective
treatments for AIDS patients, and high prices for drugs (like
fluconazole) made it impossible to treat many severe illnesses (such
as cryptococcal meningitis). Some of these problems have been
overcome. But now we are repeating an ugly period of US trade policy.

When you wonder why people hate the United States, think about the
Thai FTA. Better yet, do something to stop our government from doing
something that will cause so much lasting harm -- to the Thai people,
and to our honor.


Link to Thai FTA Watch
http://www.ftawatch.org/en/

January 9, 2006. International NGO Solidarity Statement Signed by 41
Organizations
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/c/thailand/
solidaritystatement01092006.doc

Here are some photos taken in Chiang Mai on Tuesday:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/galk-thai01.jpg
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/fta10-4.jpg
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/galk-thai-02.jpg
.......

---------------------------------
James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile +1.202.361.3040

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton


---------------------------------
James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile +1.202.361.3040

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton