Brian Pomper Quoted on Trans-Pacific Partnership and Biopharmaceuticals
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Akin Gump public law and policy partner Brian Pomper was quoted in an article in Chemical & Engineering News titled “Trans-Pacific trade pact faces rocky road,” which discusses the challenges faced by the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement as it seeks ratification by the signatory countries, among them, the United States.
The article notes that among the hurdles to be vaulted on the track to U.S. congressional approval is opposition from the pharmaceutical industry over the extent of TPP’s intellectual property protection for brand-name biologic medicines. Related to this, Congressional trade committee members are, reportedly, opposed to the pact for what they claim is its failure to grant these drug makers protection from generic competition.
Pomper noted in this regard, “There is no way TPP will pass without some significant accommodations on the biopharmaceutical side.”
