Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

US reveals Pharmac demands in trade talks

Updated at 7:07 am on 17 September 2011

The United States has for the first time revealed the demands it will make in relation to Pharmac as part of a trade deal with New Zealand.

They were revealed in a document from the US Trade Representative's office during the latest round of talks for the TransPacific Partnership in Chicago, this week.

Radio New Zealand's economics correspondent says they call for transparency and procedural fairness in Government healthcare reimbursement programmes such as Pharmac.

Victoria University intellectual property specialist Suzy Frankel says the demands match those of the American pharmaceutical industry.

She says that if agreed to, they could undermine Pharmac's ability to get the best value for money from drug purchases.

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