Ottawa’s costing of Europe’s drug patent demands vindicates critics

OTTAWA – Critics of Ottawa’s free-trade talks with Europe say they’re vindicated by confidential federal research showing that concessions on just one demand would cost Canadians up to $2 billion a year for pharmaceuticals.

The Canadian Press revealed the federal research on the weekend, showing a concession to Europe’s demands for better patent protection would cost between $800 million and $2 billion a year.

A compromise option would cost up to $900 million a year — a price that would be borne by provincial drug plans, employer-sponsored insurance plans and individuals.

The generic drug industry, the NDP and some analysts say the numbers are independent verification of their long-standing claims that caving in to Europe’s drug-patent demands would dramatically drive up health-care costs.

But the brand-name drug industry says it would be “dangerous” to base decisions on the federal research, because it reaches unreliable conclusions.

Trade negotiators are in Brussels this week and next to hash out final details of the free-trade pact, in the hope of having politicians sign off on the deal by the end of November.