For the last 60 years, international trade has been a cornerstone of the U.S. economy. Currently, the U.S. is involved in negotiations to strengthen our trading partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Today's LinkPad offers resources to understanding how the Trans-Pacific Partnership can affect trade, the U.S. economy and global competitiveness, and future medical innovation.

• A previously-featured guest blog by Lilly's Vice President for International Government Affairs, Harrison Cook, demonstrates how the Trans-Pacific Partnership can boost economic growth and promote innovation.
• In a blog, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk writes of the TPP, "we are seeking to expand U.S. exports of both innovative and generic drugs in a way that drives access to medicines in the developing world while promoting innovation."
• A letter from 22 U.S. organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to USTR Kirk highlights the potential economic benefits of matching the high intellectual property right protections from previous free trade agreements, like the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, in the TPP agreement.
• 28 Senators signed onto a bipartisan letter to President Obama, stating, "A TPP agreement with strong protections for intellectual property promises to be an important means of ensuring that U.S. companies can continue to innovate and grow in this global economy, thereby allowing us to retain high-quality skilled jobs here in the United States. We urge you to use this as an opportunity to advance 21st-century IP protections that will allow America's innovative and creative industries (responsible for 19 million American jobs) to continue to compete globally and thrive."
• Forbes contributor, Doug Schoen published an article outlining the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for American economic growth.

Developing a high global standard for intellectual property protection will allow IP-reliant industry to continue to thrive, supporting American jobs. For companies like Lilly, this translates to the continued ability to provide life-saving and -enhancing medicines to patients globally.