Belinda Townsend – The Conversation

Extending pharmaceutical monopolies would substantially increase costs for taxpayers. Shutterstock

September 20, 2018

Planned trade deal with Europe could keep medicine prices too high

Belinda Townsend, Australian National University; Deborah Gleeson, La Trobe University, and Hazel Moir, Australian National University

The EU is asking Australia to extend drug company monopolies. This could mean Australians wait longer for access to cheaper, generic medicines.

Australia’s Trade Minister Steven Ciobo speaking after a meeting for the Trans Pacific Partnership in Vietnam. AAP

November 14, 2017

The Trans‑Pacific Partnership is back: experts respond

Deborah Gleeson, La Trobe University; Belinda Townsend, Australian National University; Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney; Patricia Ranald, University of Sydney, and Peter Robertson, The University of Western Australia

Many provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been suspended after the United States pulled out. But there’s still much to debate about the regional free trade agreement.

Protecting the patents of expensive medicines for longer would affect low-income countries. Jason Reed/ReutersPics

November 9, 2017

Time for costly medicine monopolies to go from TPP trade talks

Belinda Townsend, Australian National University; Deborah Gleeson, La Trobe University; Hazel Moir, Australian National University; Joel Lexchin, University of Sydney, and Ruth Lopert, George Washington University

Negotiators from 11 countries have been racing to resurrect the near-dead Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this weekend.

Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb says the TPP is ‘the biggest global trade deal in 20 years’. Erik S. Lesser/EPA/AAP

October 6, 2015

Five things you need to know about the Trans‑Pacific Partnership

Charis Palmer, The Conversation

There’s still some way to go before the 12 countries involved can celebrate.

If the proposals are agreed, they could delay the market entry of generic medicines in the region – and the impact will be felt around the world. Jeng_Niamwhan

June 7, 2015

RCEP: the trade agreement you’ve never heard of but should be concerned about

Belinda Townsend, Deakin University; Deborah Gleeson, La Trobe University, and Ruth Lopert, George Washington University

Seven rounds of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership have already taken place with virtually no public debate. The next round of negotiations begins today in Kyoto, Japan.

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