Ministers from 12 nations, including Australia, have been in talks over a Trans Pacific Partnership, or TPP, Agreement, which would ultimately enable the United States to trade freely with the other 11 countries.
But a number of issues, including patent protection rules for cheaper generic drugs, have led to the negotiators missing the deadline to reach a deal this year despite several attempts.
Dr Patricia Ranald is from the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network.
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Dr Ranald has told Zara Zaher the repeated failure to reach an agreement indicates the illegitimacy of the deal.
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