I'd be happy to answer that one. Patent protection is granted to a product in exchange for the release of its data. So that would not normally occur without patent protection.
Because that data is made public, that is the data set that is used by generic manufacturers to copy the inventions of brand-name companies. The argument behind it is that early access to that data allows the early development of those drugs, and in some cases, the early violation of patents, which are then challenged in the courts, and then there is some gaming in the courts that goes on.
That is the link with data protection. I think there are some good arguments to be made for extending data protection, but I'd like to study the question further before drawing any definitive conclusions.