ATLANTA, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The United States and Australia
have reached a compromise on the length of monopoly protection
allowed for new biotech drugs in a development that could clear
the way for a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal, Japanese media
reported on Sunday.
The amount of time allowed for pharmaceutical companies to
have exclusive rights to the clinical data for biological drugs
has been the last major sticking point in the Trans-Pacific
Partnership talks in Atlanta.
The compromise under discussion would grant a data
exclusivity period that would be eight years, in effect, Kyodo
reported. That would be in line with a U.S. proposal from last
week. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.