A new NAFTA deal must halt intellectual property theft

Senior Trump administration have headed to Mexico City for the seventh round of NAFTA renegotiations. American negotiators ought to demand stronger protection of intellectual property rights. Robust IP protections would prevent Canada, Mexico, and other trading partners from freeloading off American ingenuity — particularly our medicines.

Development of a new drug is an expensive endeavor, requiring top-tier scientists and equipment and years of clinical trials. There are many false starts and dead ends. Altogether, it costs $2.6 billion to bring a single drug to market.