Prime Minister John Howard's statements today that the FTA deal has protected the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme need to be backed up by more than just his rhetoric - after all, his previous form has shown him to be very loose with the truth.

Mr Howard must answer the following questions urgently:

• Have all the PBS issues been resolved as part of the deal? If so, why will the FTA establish a Medicines Working Group? And why is this Working Group not even mentioned in the DFAT Fact Sheets?

• Why has the Howard Government apparently agreed to an appeals mechanism whereby industry can challenge the decisions of the committees that advise the Howard Government on PBS listing and price? Again, there is no mention of this appeals system in the DFAT Fact Sheets, although it certainly is highlighted in the media release from the pharmaceutical industry association.

• And what happened to change the Howard Government's mind on this issue, which was firmly rejected in 2000 by the Tambling Review of the PBS?

• What do the proposed changes to the current Australian blood plasma fractionation arrangements mean for the safety of blood products, and which US-based firm is trying to muscle in on this market?

• Will Mr Howard assure the employees of Australian firms which manufacture generic medicines that the changes to patents and intellectual property protection will not result in any job losses?