EU–India FTA: Tariffs down, TRIPS-Plus provisions out — what does it mean for access to medicines? [GUEST ESSAY]

Newsletter Edition #360 [The Files In-Depth]

Readers,

In this edition, we bring you a guest analysis on the EU-India FTA, to understand the implications on the access to medicines.

Author of the essay Pramiti Parwani, a global health law and international trade law scholar at the University of Warwick, says the 2026 FTA is now expected to have crucial implications for trade in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, primarily through tariff reductions. Read on.

Before you get to the guest essay, find a quick update on Ebola from the Africa CDC. We are keeping a close watch on the response to Ebola to also see how this will impact law and policy making in Geneva.

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I. EBOLA UPDATE FROM AFRICA CDC

Press Briefing on June 11, 2026

Jean Kaseya (Director General, Africa CDC)

• Rapid Expansion: The outbreak is spreading quickly, doubling from 14 to 27 affected health zones in just 10 days.
• Ituri Statistics: There are 600 confirmed cases in Ituri, DRC, with 104 deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate of approximately 17%.
• Contact Tracing Gap: While 24,000 contacts are expected in Ituri based on the density of cases, only 4,955 have been listed.
• Low Follow-up: Only 12% of expected contacts in Ituri are currently being monitored, and across both countries, active follow-up ranges from only 17% to 34%.
• Transmission Risk: The risk of sustained community transmission remains high because several confirmed cases are not yet admitted to treatment centers.
• Historical Scale: This current outbreak is five times larger than the previous one in Uganda and 17 times larger than the 2012 DRC outbreak.
• Ranking: This is currently the third-largest Ebola outbreak out of the 20 recorded in history.
• Target Demographic: The virus is primarily affecting young people aged 15 to 44, who are highly mobile due to mining and trade activities.
• Child Mortality: The case fatality rate among children aged zero to four is notably higher than in other age groups.
• Travel Guidelines: Africa CDC released guidelines stating that travel restrictions are currently unnecessary as the general risk remains low outside affected areas.
• Security Obstacles: Rebel attacks in Beni and Butembo have halted UN flights and led to the destruction of at least one treatment center.
• Burial Team Shortage: There is a massive gap in safe burial capacity; only seven teams are available out of the 49 required.
• Logistics Deficit: The response is currently operating with only seven functional ambulances when 88 are needed.
• Funding Requirements: The Joint Continental Preparedness and Response Plan requires a total of $518 million to be fully implemented.
• Multiple Outbreaks: Africa is simultaneously managing 114 moderate to high-risk public health events, including cholera in 15 countries.
• Measles Hotspots: Measles outbreaks in North and South Kivu are being driven by low vaccination coverage caused by regional insecurity.
• Uganda Success: The outbreak in Uganda is considered under control, with 91% of listed contacts under active follow-up and no evidence of community transmission.
• Presidential Meeting: A high-level meeting of African heads of state is scheduled for June 16 to discuss securing access for health workers in conflict zones.
• EU Contribution: The EU has committed 11.5 million euros, bringing their total support to roughly 80 million euros.
• Member State Solidarity: Kaseya is targeting a $100 million contribution from African member states to demonstrate regional solidarity.
• Chinese Support: China has pledged $2 million to Africa CDC, in addition to direct support of commodities and human resources to member states.
• Kenya Quarantine Center: Africa CDC supports Kenya's sovereign decision to establish 23 isolation centers, one of which could serve U.S. citizens.
• Healthcare Worker Infections: A total of 36 healthcare workers have been infected (6% of total cases); five have died in the DRC, while all infected workers in Uganda survived.

Professor Salim Abdul Karim

• Frontline Risk: In a single hospital in Bunia, five of the 22 patients were healthcare workers, including two doctors and an anesthetist.
• Triage Innovation: Hospitals have implemented plexiglass barriers and "green and red zones" to protect staff during patient intake.
• Diagnostic Challenges: Ebola symptoms often mimic common conditions like malaria, making early triage critical to preventing staff exposure.
• Treatment Limitations: Currently, licensed monoclonal antibodies do not work against the Bundibugyo virus species.
• Remdesivir Optimism: There is optimism that the drug Remdesivir may be effective against this specific Ebola strain, with clinical trials coordinated by the WHO.
• Sustainability: While effective, specialized triage and screening protocols are not sustainable for routine care and are only instituted during active outbreaks.

Wessam Mankoula (Technical Expert)

• Contact Ratio: Responders ideally expect to find 20 to 40 contacts for every one confirmed case.
• Missing Contacts: Due to security issues, current contact lists are roughly 50% lower than the expected number of people who should be followed.
• One Health Integration: The response strategy includes a One Health pillar to investigate the animal and environmental sources of the outbreak.

Tolbert Geewleh Nyenswah (Senior Technical Expert)

• Primary Goal: The immediate concentration of the response is stopping human-to-human transmission using basic public health countermeasures.
• Wildlife Surveillance: Long-term efforts will include testing bats and animals in markets to understand the spillover from wildlife to humans.

Other experts on data analytics, and on the field:

• Data Tools: Africa CDC has helped the DRC establish a DHIS tool tracker to support routine data collection and contact monitoring at entry points.
• Validation Process: Experts from the Ministry of Health, WHO, and Africa CDC meet regularly to validate data arriving from the field.

• Community Engagement: Efforts have been decentralized to include 2,000 community healthcare workers to lead active surveillance and contact tracing.
• Trust Building: Engagement has started at the highest provincial levels, including Members of Parliament and Governors in Ituri, to combat community mistrust.

 We used an AI tool for transcription and production purposes.

II. GUEST ESSAY:

EU–India FTA: Tariffs down, TRIPS-Plus provisions out — what does it mean for access to medicines?

By Pramiti Parwani

Parwani is an Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, where she teaches and conducts research in global health law and international trade law.

Email: Pramiti.parwani@warwick.ac.uk 

Almost twenty years in the making, negotiations for the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded on 27 January 2026, with the full text of the agreement being published subsequently. Finalized at a time of increasing US tariffs, trade unilateralism, and geopolitical tensions, the FTA between the world’s second- and fourth-largest economy sends a strong message about both parties’ continued commitment to rules-based international trade.

This agreement comes after previous unsuccessful bilateral trade negotiations between the parties, between 2007 and 2013, which had ultimately collapsed without a deal. Reports at the time suggested that disagreements about the inclusion of TRIPS-plus standards and the impact thereof on access to medicines were one of the key points of contention.