U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement’s Impact on Medicine Access

• Experts warn that the agreement’s patent provisions may favor patent owners and limit access to medicines.

• The agreement could delay or limit the production of life-saving generics, impacting patients in India and the Global South.

• The preference for voluntary licenses could leave access to medicines in the hands of market forces, undermining the government’s role.

• The Indian Patents Act could compromise the ability of compulsory license applicants to prove unmet demands.

• The agreement could harmonize patentability criteria and undermine safeguards against evergreening.

• Despite concerns, the agreement could boost India’s pharmaceutical industry.