TPP talks bog down on US push for drug protections

The US demand for longer protections for biologic drugs bogged down talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership for another day on Saturday. With the top-level negotiations to finalize the huge trade agreement already extended two days, Washington's partners in the 12-country talks appeared to be stiffly resisting its push for much more than the five-year patent protections more widely accepted. The United States, which has a 12-year standard domestically to protect the creations of pharmaceutical co