The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement and access to HIV treatment in Vietnam |
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| Authors: | Hazel V. J. Moir Brigitte Tenni Deborah Gleeson Ruth Lopert |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Centre for European Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;2. Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;3. School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia;4. Department of Health Policy and Management, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA |
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| Abstract: | In the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations, the USA successfully pursued intellectual property (IP) provisions that will affect the affordability of medicines, including anti-retrovirals (ARV) for HIV. Vietnam has the lowest GDP per capita of the 12 TPP countries and in 2013 provided ARVs for only 68% of eligible people living with HIV. Using the current Vietnamese IP regime as our base case, we analysed the potential impact of a regime making full use of legal IP flexibilities, and one based on the IP provisions of the final, agreed TPP text. Results indicate that at current funding levels 82% of Vietnam’s eligible people living with HIV would receive ARVs if legal flexibilities were fully utilised, while as few as 30% may have access to ARVs under the TPP Agreement – more than halving the proportion currently treated. |
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| Keywords: | Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement trade agreements access to medicines HIV intellectual property |
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