Dec 4, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Biologics provision may be dropped from USMCA

Caitlin Owens

Illustration of a hand holding a small scale with pills on one side and money on the other — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Mexico is considering a U.S. proposal to leave biologics protections out of the new trade deal between the two countries and Canada, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: The change could help the trade agreement get across the finish line by garnering Democratic support, but it'd be a big loss for the pharmaceutical industry.

Details: The original trade pact, which was a renegotiation of NAFTA, would have given biologics 10 years of market exclusivity in each of the three countries — an extension of their monopoly period under current Mexican and Canadian law.

Including pharmaceutical industry protections in trade deals has been a Republican priority for years.

Go deeper:

The case for biosimilars
Trump may ease drug protections in USMCA to win Democratic support

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Biologics provision may be dropped from USMCA

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