EU Says Trade Talks with India Will Not Hit Generic Drugs

The European Union's ambassador to India said on May 3 that ongoing free-trade negotiations are not intended to curb India's export of low-priced generic drugs.

India is the source of 80 percent of the AIDS drugs used by Doctors Without Borders (DWB) projects in developing nations. DWB has highlighted a leaked draft version of an EU-India deal covering generic drugs, saying that it would jeopardize India's status as the world's leading producer and exporter of generic drugs.

Any agreement reached would not be intended to limit India's ability "to produce and export life-saving [generic] medicines," said Daniele Smadja, the head of EU's delegation in New Delhi. The leaked draft is "not the text which will be in the agreement," as the text is still "subject to discussions and negotiations," she said.

The EU hopes to conclude the free-trade negotiations by late October, Smadja said. The EU launched talks for the agreement in 2007.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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