Vermont Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty Submits Comments to USTR for the 2010 Special 301 Report

On behalf of the Vermont Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty, we write to oppose the recent use of the Special 301 report to suggest discipline of countries that implement effective and non-discriminatory pharmaceutical pricing policies. This change is concerning to states, like Vermont, who have been leaders in pharmaceutical cost-control, because it appears to be a broader effort by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to promote a new international trade framework with domestic policy implications for states who seek to contain prescription drug costs.