Nafta 2.0’s Drug Patent Protection Collides With Price-Cut Push

A provision of the revised trade deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada that would extend drug companies’ hold on some of the most expensive medications on the market is running up against congressional Republicans’ pledges to end Big Pharma’s alleged abuse of the U.S patent system.

With lower drug prices for consumers being one of the few bilateral cornerstones in today’s tumultuous political climate, the tug-of-war brought on by the pharmaceutical language in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement underscores how difficult it will be for Congress to pass the trade deal, one of President Donald Trump’s longstanding priorities.

Sen. John ...