E-drug: Access to essential drugs conference
--------------------------------------------
Increasing Access to Essential Drugs in a Globalised Economy
--working towards solutions--
November 25-26, 1999
Amsterdam
Organised by Health Action International (HAI), M�decins Sans
Fronti�res (MSF), and Consumer Project on Technology (CPT)
There is a growing inequality in access to health care between people
living in developed and developing countries. In practical terms people
in poor countries have virtually no access to new essential medicines
which are priced beyond their means. In addition, multinational
pharmaceutical companies have abandoned basic and clinical research on diseases endemic in developing countries.
How can access to essential medicines be improved in an increasingly
global economy regulated by multilateral trade agreements?
On November 25-26 health advocates and public health professionals from
developing countries, representatives from domestic and international
NGOs, the pharmaceutical industry, international organisations,
national governments and academics will meet to address this question.
The "Increasing Access" meeting is scheduled one week before the
launch of the Millennium Round in Seattle USA, this process will
result in agreements that will guide World Trade Organisation WTO
policy in the coming years.
There is a growing consensus in the international public health
community that action must be taken to humanise the new trade
agreements - we must make our collective voices heard in Seattle.
The Amsterdam meeting is part of an important process:
March 1999 - more than 120 delegates from 30 countries met in Geneva
to examine compulsory licensing as a potential tool to address the
crisis of access
May 1999 - the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to the
Revised Drug Strategy that gives the WHO a formal role in helping
countries to maximise positive effects and minimise negative effects
of international trade agreements
November 1999 - in Amsterdam approximately 300 people will meet in
both plenary and roundtable sessions to explore practical means of
increasing access to essential medicines
Participants in the two-day meeting will:
* discuss how the new global trade rules enforced by the (WTO) are
affecting access to drugs in developing countries
* learn about legal frameworks to improve access to affordable
essential medicines, such as compulsory licensing and parallel
imports
* work on strategies for quicker introduction of generic drugs
* begin to define an appropriate role for drug donations
* examine costs of research and development and analyse current drug
prices
* explore ways of restarting production of abandoned drugs
* discuss means of increasing local drug development and production
* benefit from networking with other participants working on similar
issues
Who should attend the meeting:
* health advocates and public health professionals from developing
countries
* members of NGOs focused on health care delivery and policy
* government and international organisation officials and academics
who are concerned about access to essential medicines
* people from proprietary and generic pharmaceutical companies that
are marketing therapies in developing countries
* journalists covering international health issues and/or the
pharmaceutical industry
To Register:
* The programme with registration details will be distributed by mail
beginning in mid-August. Electronic registration will not be
possible.
* To receive a registration form please send a request with your
mailing address to the conference directorate for "Increasing Access"
before October 15, 1999 -- by email, fax or mail:
email: rose@hai.antenna.nl
fax: +31 20 685 5002
mail: "Increasing Access Conference"
HAI - Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Note: There will be a registration fee to attend the conference and a
small number of grants will be provided to participants from
developing countries. Additional information will be posted by
September 1, 1999 on the following websites: www.haiweb.org,
www.msf.org and www.cptech.org.
Daniel Berman, MSF
Email: Daniel_BERMAN@geneva.msf.org
--
Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.