E-drug: Brazilian Social Movement needs support
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Please,
find attached documents the Fora of AIDS-NGOs from the States of Sao
Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have signed today. Please help us on that!!!
Please, excuse me if I have repeated any e-mail and someone has
received it twice.
Follows addresses where you can mail your protests and support to the
Brazilian position:
World Trade Organization
Centre William Rappard,
Rue de Lausanne 154,
CH-1211 Geneva 21,
Switzerland.
Tel: 0041.22-739-5111
Fax: 004122-739-5458
E-mail: enquiries@wto.org
Brazilian Delegation in Geneva
17B Ancienne Route Grand
Sacconex 1218 Geneve Suice
Tel: 004122-929-0900
Fax: 004122-7882505
Philip.gough@ties.itu.int
Secret�rio Philip
US Mission for European Office of the United Nations and other
Organizations
Tel: +41 22 749 41 11
Fax: +41 22 749 48 80
Americans, please fill your Senators with faxes and e-mails. That will help us.
Thank you all for your help,
Cheers,
Ezio T Santos-Filho
Grupo Pela VIDDA/Rio de Janeiro
Forum of AIDS-NGOs of State of Rio de Janeiro
"Ezio Santos-Filho" <etfilho@attglobal.net>
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The United States government is requesting, on January 1st, the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) the establishment of a panel in the attempt
to threaten the successful Brazilian AIDS programme
At the Community Forum and at Forum 2000, two declarations were
issued by community activists, which we quote below. Among the claims
there are some to the US government, to specifically withdraw the
complaint before WTO on Argentina and Brazil patent laws. The meeting
will take place tomorrow, February 1st, 2001.
The United States will request the establishment of the panel BRAZIL -
MEASURES AFFECTING PATENT PROTECTION, on the grounds that the
Brazilian industrial property law is inconsistent with the TRIPS
Agreement. According to the United States government, the Brazilian
patent law represents a potential conflict since it provides the
possibility to obtain compulsory licenses of drugs in extreme cases,
such as incapacity to supply the market which could endanger public
health. Compulsory licensing is a mechanism supported by TRIPS, but
it has not been used by the Brazilian government, at least as regards
to the production of anti-retroviral drugs. If costs grow too much
and threaten the access to treatment, it should be used.
Brazil initiated its production of anti-retroviral drugs in 1995, intending
to provide free and universal care to its 100 thousand patients. Success
has been such that, according to estimates, since 1997, 146 thousand of
patients have avoided hospitalisation thanks in part to the production of 7
locally produced drugs. Consequently the number of deaths caused by AIDS
decreased 50% since 1996.
At present, around 100.000 patients are under drugs treatment
provided by the government. This large number of people assisted by
the public health system became possible since Brazilian public
laboratories started to
produce generic drugs for free distribution. The local production led to
sharp price reductions, which dropped up to 72% compared to international
prices. In 1999 the ministry of Health spent about US$ 311 million dollars
treating 75.000 patients, comparing to US$ 301 million dollars treating
100.000 in 2000. Since 1997 the annual cost to treat a patient in Brazil
has dropped from US$ 7.858 to US$ 4.137. In the United States, similar
treatment costs US$ 10,000 to US$ 15,000 and is not available for free to
every patient.
The lives of thousands of people in Brazil depend on the government aid to
provide free medication, which are an affordable burden due to low cost of
production which is an experience that Brazil is willing to share with other
developing countries, particularly in Africa where AIDS is killing millions
of people. In Durban International AIDS Conference the Brazilian delegation
proposed to co-operate with countries in the development of similar
anti-retroviral production infrastructure, establishment of health-care
services, etc, which could lead to a dramatic reduction of deaths.
Therefore, in order to seek the largest possible access to anti-retroviral
therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS in our societies, we urge the civil
society to react from now on against the United States attempt to protect
pharmaceutical industry interests by all the possible ways. In this sense,
we are beginning a global mobilization which generates a public debate on
this behaviour which could have a negative impact on the health and lives of
millions or PWHIV/AIDS and ask you to protest in the interest of millions of
people, particularly of those living in developing countries.
January 31st, 2001
F�rum de ONGs-Aids do Estado de S�o Paulo (88 organisations members)
F�rum de ONGs-Aids do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (33 organisation members)
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RIO DE JANEIRO DECLARATION
The persons and organisations at the Latin American and Caribbean
Community Forum on HIV-AIDS, held in Rio de Janeiro, from November,
5th to 6th , 2000.
Demand the US government to withdraw the complaint against patent
laws in Argentina and Brazil at the WTO.
At the same time we complain against the interference of the US
government in the elaboration of the Dominican Republic patent laws.
Demand Latin American and Caribbean governments have an adequate and
strict control of the quality of drugs approved and distributed by
the private or public networks, produced locally or abroad, not
taking into account either who produces nor trade them, nor if they
have or lack approval in other countries or institutions, be they
patented or off-patent.
The States should provide permanently the national regulatory institutions
with the appropriate human and economic resources to verify the quality of
all drugs.
We demand WTO, WHO, PAHO, UNAIDS and the governments of the so called
developed countries to ensure that patent legislation serve the right to
life, health and human dignity and do not constitute an obstacle for the
access to treatment of the persons which require them.
We also ask the so-called developed countries to oppose pressures and
measures against legislation which facilitate the delivery or trading or
production of drugs.
We call on WTO, WHO, UNAIDS, and governments to support that the right to
life, health and human dignity be superior to the economic rights.
We demand the pharmaceutical companies to withdraw or liberate patents of
HIV-AIDS drugs and other severe conditions in the so-called developing
countries.
We demand the pharmaceutical companies not try to use persons or
organisations that work or live with HIV-AIDS to favour their own interests.
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FORUM 2000 DECLARATION
The persons and organisations which work in human rights, participating at
the II Conference on Horizontal Technical Co-operation in Latin America and
the Caribbean on HIV - AIDS, Forum 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, November
7th to 11th, 2000:
Exhort UNAIDS to adopt a proactive behaviour leading to concrete results
related to the universal access to all the medicines in all the countries
where there is no access.
Ask UN to declare HIV-AIDS a problem of humanity and therefore all the
scientific research related with the subject are a universal good, taking
effective measures to liberate patents, review TRIPS agreements to
minimise the negative consequences on public health in the so called
developing countries, as well as effectively support the use of the
exceptions which exist in the current TRIPS agreements.
Ask governments to assume the political responsibility to warrant
universal access to HIV-AIDS medicines.
Ask international agencies which support countries where there is no
access to drugs to recommend governments to take effective decisions.
Exhort countries to allow the production and importing of generic
medicines, and to act in solidarity through collaboration in
technological transference with the countries with few resources.
Demand an immediate and drastic price reduction on medicines for countries
with few resources, as already done with vaccines.
Regret the absence or the small number of PWHIV/AIDS from countries
with few resources, in the Region, in this Forum such as Haiti, El
Salvador,
Honduras, Paraguay, Belize, among others.
Exhort persons and organisations to present complaint to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and The UN Human Rights
Committee since their decisions are compulsory for member States.
We adhere to the Rio de Janeiro Declaration presented at the
Community Forum which precede this Forum 2000
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