32 Members of US House of Representatives ask USTR to sanction Canada for not granting patents on drugs

The attached letter, dated April 10, 2014 and signed by a bipartisan group of 32 members of the House of Representatives, asks USTR to elevate Canada to the Special 301 “priority watch list,” for “violation of their international obligations” for not granting enough patents on “innovative medicines.” According to the members of Congress signing the letter, Canada is in violation of its WTO TRIPS obligations. USTR is asked to use “all tools available to address the issue,” including placing Canada on the USTR Priority Watch List. But the members of Congress did not ask USTR to file an actual case against Canada in the WTO, which in theory could bring real sanctions against Canada. Why not? Presumably because the members of Congress think the US would lose and Canada would win.

Among the 32 Representatives signing the letter, 14 were Democrats and 18 were Republicans. The representatives were from 18 states, including 7 from Indiana.


A Maureen Groppe report on the letter for Gannett is available here: http://www.jconline.com/article/20140411/NEWS11/304110012/Lawmakers-weigh-drug-patent-dispute

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