How the USMCA’s IP Provisions for Drugs Will Help American Workers

If we want to put America first in trade agreements, Rob Atkinson writes in Morning Consult, then Congress should ratify the proposed United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and in particular support its provision requiring 10 years of data protection for biologic drugs (which protects an innovator’s clinical trial data results validating the drugs’ safety and efficacy). This is a provision that puts America first, by ensuring that Mexican and Canadian drug companies follow existing U.S. rules so they cannot unfairly copy American innovations. The result will be a more competitive U.S. biopharmaceutical industry, more high-paying American jobs and more incentives to produce new cures.