December 4, 2007 Ruth Lopert Brown Bag on FTAs

Wednesday, 28 November 2007

Knowledge Ecology International Brown Bag Lunch:

Ruth Lopert on pharmaceutical provisions in Australia-US and Korea-US FTAs

Washington, DC
4 December 2007

On Tuesday, December 4, 2007 KEI will host a brown bag lunch about  pharmaceutical provisions in Free Trade Agreements. Professor Ruth Lopert will compare Australia-US and Korea-US FTAs IP chapters, with a  specific focus on the pharmaceutical provisions.

Time: 12:00-2:00pm
Date: Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Venue: KEI, 1621 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 500, Washington DC 20009

Title: Comparing the Pharmaceutical Provisions of AUSFTA and KORUS – Better or Worse or the Song Remains the Same? According to Professor Ruth Lopert, while the KORUS chapter on pharmaceuticals appears to have been modeled on the Pharmaceuticals Annex of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), there are both subtle and less subtle differences between the two texts. By reviewing both the AUSFTA content and how the provisions have been implemented in Australia it is possible to appreciate the progression of the text and consider the implications for Korea’s fledgling positive list.

Ruth Lopert joined the Department of Health Policy George at Washington University in 2006 as a Harkness Fellow in Health Policy, and is currently a Visiting Associate Professor there. A public health physician and pharmacoepidemiologist by training, prior to taking up her fellowship Ruth was Principal Adviser and Director of the Pharmaceutical Policy Taskforce in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) in Canberra, Australia. The Taskforce was established in 2005 to develop policy options to support the future sustainability of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and to manage the implementation of the pharmaceutical provisions of the Australia US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). Ruth is a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Policies and Management, and was a key Australian participant in the negotiation of the pharmaceutical provisions of the AUSFTA. She has published and presented internationally in pharmacoeconomics and pharmaceutical policy her research interests include pharmacoeconomics and reimbursement, pharmaceutical intellectual property, drug pricing and access to medicines.

Bring your own lunch, we will provide drinks and snacks.

This event is open to the public. RSVPs are not necessary but appreciated. Send your name, title, organization and contact information to
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or call 202 332 2670, ext 18