Thank you for this opportunity to raise Oxfam’s concerns on *access to medicines.
Oxfam campaigns to relieve poverty and reverse inequality. We strongly commend WHO’s role in supporting countries to plan and implement policies to make quality medicines and medical technologies available and affordable to those who need them.
For example, the prequalification scheme has played a major role in enhancing access to medicines for HIV, TB and malaria. This programme needs to expand to include other medicines especially antibiotics, and medicines for communicable and NCDs. However, policy, advocacy and normative work are needed to provide the necessary foundations for such a scheme.
High prices of medicines continue to be a barrier to access to medicines in developing countries. Lack of transparency on prices makes it difficult for countries to negotiate best prices. Generic competition is a very effective mechanism to achieve sustained low prices. The price of pyglated interferon to treat hepatitis C in Egypt dropped only when generic competition entered the market.
We appreciate WHO’s recognition of the role of civil society but prices must not remain high unless and until civil society campaign. Pharmaceutical companies must be made to recognise that the world cannot continue to pay such high prices for new medicines. Countries need to be supported in using TRIPS flexibilities to stimulate generic competition and thus ensure sustained low prices.
To conclude, Oxfam believes that access to quality affordable medicines is a prerequisite to achieve UHC, relieve poverty and reverse inequalities. We call on Member States to ensure that the WHO has the resources needed to deliver on its medicines core functions and on WHO to scale up its leadership in addressing new incentives for R&D and of supporting countries to implement the TRIPS flexibilities to curb the high prices of new medicines.
--
Mohga Kamal-Yanni
mailto:mkamalyanni@oxfam.org.uk