E-DRUG: Chirac on access and G8
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[President Chirac, the current EU President, asked in Durban for a special
ACCESS summit, and proposed that the G8 summit next week in Japan discuss
access to HIV-related drugs. Dr Brundtland, DG of WHO, announced that she
had been invited to Japan to discuss the AIDS epidemic and the debt crisis
with G8 leaders and the presidents of South Africa and Nigeria, who are
representatives of the "G77" (the 120 developing countries).
What more evidence do we need that Access is now THE keyword in Durban?
copied as fair use. WB]
http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/newsline/reuters/07118274.htm
France's Chirac denounces "two-speed" AIDS battle
DURBAN, South Africa, Jul 11 (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac on
Monday urged the international community to close the growing gap in the
quality of AIDS treatment between rich countries and the developing world.
In a speech delivered on his behalf to the 13th International Aids
Conference in Durban, Chirac railed against the emergence of a "two-speed"
approach to HIV infection and AIDS, whereby expensive drugs and proper
health care are beyond the reach of the most severely affected countries of
Africa and Asia.
"When 90% of people infected with HIV live in the developing world, it
would be entirely unthinkable to accept a two-speed epidemic," Chirac said.
"We have to do everything possible to ensure that new treatment be made
available to those most in need of it, in Africa, Asia and the rest of the
world."
Chirac said that France would propose, along with the United Nations, a
conference which would bring together developing countries, bilateral and
multilateral donors, non-governmental organizations and drug firms to get
treatment to those most in need.
"At the G8 summit in Okinawa in a few days, I will ask our partners for
support," the French leader said. "We cannot deny the facts: the AIDS
epidemic is worsening...AIDS kills more people than war."
African leaders, including South African President Thabo Mbeki, have
already called on the G8--the leading Western industrialized nations plus
Russia--to forgive billions of dollars of African debt to allow governments
to increase spending on overstretched health and education systems.
Chirac said that a deal reached in May between the United Nations and
Western drugs firms to offer cheaper anti-AIDS drugs to the developing
world had to be urgently acted upon, and treatment for pregnant women made
a priority. "We also have to explore other avenues, such as the
manufacturing of new medicines by developing countries themselves," he
said.
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