Leading civil society organisations, including the Trade Justice Movement sent this joint letter to Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds, raising alarm over provisions in the UK-India trade deal that could severely restrict India’s ability to produce life-saving, affordable medicines.
The letter highlights leaked drafts of the FTA’s intellectual property (IP) chapter, which suggest the UK is pushing for measures that go far beyond international trade norms. These “TRIPS-plus” provisions could:
- Extend pharmaceutical monopolies, delaying the production of affordable generic medicines.
- Remove safeguards against unjustified patents, allowing companies to keep prices artificially high.
- Block access to crucial clinical trial data, slowing medical innovation and generic competition.
India is known as the “pharmacy of the developing world,” supplying affordable medicines to millions globally, as well as 25% of the NHS’s medicines. The proposed changes could not only impact global health but also drive up costs and reduce access to medicines for UK patients.
