Anticounterfeiting agreement will hinder trade in generic drugs, protesters say

Several thousand people took to the streets in Germany on Saturday 9 June to protest against proposed new anticounterfeiting controls, which they say will harm the production of generic drugs across the world and consequently reduce poor people’s access to them.

The day of action, which was organised to stop the implementation of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), also produced demonstrations in London, Brussels, Vienna, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Protestors said that the “undemocratic” agreement would harm fundamental rights and curb access to essential, affordable drugs in Europe and in developing countries that have not participated in negotiations.

Tessel Mellema, a …