Leena Menghaney, Head-South Asia, MSF Access Campaign  

“While some provisions that undermined generic competition from India were removed from the main text of the final EFTA-India trade agreement, MSF is concerned that certain clauses related to intellectual property in this trade deal could significantly undermine the use of existing public health measures enshrined in Indian patent law – as these measures are important safeguards to curb the abuse of patent monopolies and support access to more affordable generic lifesaving medicines needed by people in India and other developing countries.” 

“We urge the Indian government to push back on pressure to undermine pre-grant oppositions and continue rejecting damaging provisions such as data exclusivity that could delay competition among generic producers, which plays a crucial role in lowering medicines prices and ultimately saving lives.”  

“Free trade agreements serve as blueprints for subsequent trade deals. So, setting harmful precedents in this agreement could have a negative knock-on effect on other agreements India is considering signing with other countries, and together, these could have a devastating impact on access to medicines for millions of people around the globe.”