This report evaluates whether pharmaceutical intellectual property (IP) provisions in EU free trade agreements increase drug costs or restrict access. Analyzing spending, pricing, access timelines, investment, and clinical research activity, it finds that stronger IP protections do not raise medicine spending as a share of healthcare costs and are associated with slower price inflation. Countries with robust IP frameworks experience earlier access to innovative medicines, increased foreign direct investment, and significantly higher clinical trial activity. The report concludes that harmonized IP provisions support innovation, economic growth, and patient access while maintaining system-level cost controls, challenging common assumptions about IP-driven cost escalation.

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