WASHINGTON — Some House Democrats are raising new concerns about a landmark Trump administration trade agreement, implying that it will weaken the bipartisan effort to lower prescription drug prices.
But experts tell STAT that the treaty won’t actually increase prices or stifle competition in the U.S.
At least two Democrats are concerned with a provision in a new version of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, that grants 10 years of exclusivity to biologic drugs, the AP reported Tuesday. The provision would bar companies from selling copycat biosimilar drugs in Mexico and Canada for a full decade after a drug company launches a branded biologic drug. Right now, biologics only get five and eight years of exclusivity in Mexico and Canada, respectively. In the U.S., biologics already get 12 years of exclusivity.
