PhRMA Statement on the Free Trade Agreement Announcement

Washington, D.C. (May 11, 2007) — Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America President and CEO Billy Tauzin issued the following statement on the Free Trade Agreement announcement:

“We are in the process of reviewing the Free Trade Agreement language that Congress, the Administration and other key stakeholders revealed last night. Wehave beenextremely concerned during this process that core American intellectual property rights remain protected.The future innovation of medicines could be threatened ifcountries around the world are free toundermineintellectual property protectionsthat create incentives for pharmaceutical companies to continue their investment in the development of new cures.

“America’s pharmaceutical research companies commit a tremendous amount of resources researching and developing new cures and treatments for patients suffering from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer and diabetes.Our industryshares the goals of all stakeholders in these discussions of maximizing patient access to medicines around the world. We strongly believe thatintellectual property rights are a critical element necessary to achieve that goal.

“In the end, patients, no matter what country they live in, should have access to the best medicines available to help them win their battle against disease."

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The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $43 billion in 2006 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $55.2 billion in 2006.

PhRMA Internet Address: www.phrma.org

PhRMA en Español: www.nuestraphrma.org

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: www.innovation.org

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: www.pparx.org

For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit: www.buysafedrugs.info