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By ELIZABETH BECKER and ROBERT PEAR
New
York Times
Congress is poised to approve an
international trade agreement that could have the effect of
thwarting a goal pursued by many lawmakers of both parties: the
import of inexpensive prescription drugs to help millions of
Americans without health insurance.
The agreement, negotiated with Australia by the Bush administration,
would allow pharmaceutical companies to prevent imports of drugs to
the United States and also to challenge decisions by Australia about
what drugs should be covered by the country's health plan, the
prices paid for them and how they can be used.
It represents the administration's model for strengthening the
protection of expensive brand-name drugs in wealthy countries, where
the biggest profits can be made.
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