Deadly Effects of Unaffordable Medicines (TPP)

On the eve of the next round of secret talks on the festering pushole that is the TPP - the trade treaty so secret it can only be seen the by the multinational corporations that are writing it - MSF is once again attempting to encourage some variant of sanity.

As I've written before, MSF/Doctors Without Borders is opposed to the TPP provisions that promote patent protection over human protection. In their latest missive (linked above) the organization points out that "harmful new rules" in TPP will push prices higher for life-saving medicines, and of course this will hit the poorest countries the hardest. Additionally, TPP continues to promote the regime of secret, unaccountable courts that would set themselves above the national courts of the signatory nations. As MSF notes:

The Canadian government has been sued by Eli Lilly to the tune of $500 million, based on similar provisions in NAFTA, because the corporation objects to a Canadian Supreme Court ruling rejecting the patent for two of its blockbuster drugs. As a result, Canadian law could be overturned by a ruling made in a secret, private arbitration proceeding.

As before I feel I should note that I am a long-time donor to MSF, but have no other affiliation with the organization.