Euractiv.com reports that Indian pharmaceutical industry representatives and NGOs have voiced opposition to an imminent EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) which they claim would limit the emerging nation’s ability to produce generic drugs.
Opposition focused on an EU request for a ‘data exclusivity’ clause which opponents claim would prevent India from producing cheap generics.
Speaking to EurActiv, Dilip Shah, secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which represents some of India’s largest pharmaceutical companies, accused the EU of “using high-pressure tactics to force India to agree to data exclusivity”.
Data exclusivity refers to a period during which drug producers can maintain a monopoly on production. Drug companies claim the period is necessary to recoup the high cost of developing new drugs.