[e-drug] EU Trade negotiations and access to life saving medicines - AIDAN

e-drug
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E-DRUG: EU Trade negotiations and access to life saving medicines - AIDAN
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ALL INDIA DRUG ACTION NETWORK
http://aidanindia.wordpress.com/
Towards a people oriented, rational, drug policy!

Open letter to the Prime Minister expressing concern over the EU Trade negotiations and access to life saving & essential medicines

Date 6th February
2012
To, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi-110 011
Tel: 91-11-23012312 Fax: 91-11-23016857/91-11-23019545;
email:pmo@pmindia.nic.in

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) members express grave concern with regard to theround of
negotiations on intellectual property that continues to be held between Indian and European Union (EU) negotiators as part of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks. News reports in India quote the EU Ambassador as stating that discussions on Pharmaceuticals have progressed significantly.

It is reliably learnt from media reports that on the 10th February 2012, at the India-EU Summit to be held in Delhi, the EU & India will agree on and finalize the political framework for the FTA.

We express grave concern that these negotiations between the EU and India are progressing towards an agreement which includes provisions that will seriously hamper India's ability to manufacture safe, effective and affordable generic medicines and export these to other developing countries.

Background:-
Indian generic industry is rightly known as the 'Pharmacy of the Developing Countries'
because:-
  1. In 2001, India's generics brought prices down from $15000 per person per year to $350 for first line AIDS medicines.
  2. 80% of people living with HIV in developing countries are on Indian generic ARVs.
  3. Over 90% of pediatric AIDS medicines are supplied by Indian generics.

For millions of people in the developing world, access to essential medicines is often a question of life and death. Most of them rely on the affordable generic medicines being produced by countries like India.

Backed by the big multinational pharmaceutical companies, US, European Union and European Free Trade Association are pushing for aggressive trade policies to restrict the supply and production of the generic medicines. The attack is taking various forms but with a single handed objective: Pushing for TRIPS plus provisions through Free Trade Agreements and other international agreements. The impact of such actions could be devastating and result in loss of millions of lives in absence of affordable medicines.

BUT ALL THIS COULD CHANGE IF INDIA DOES
SAY NO TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) IN THE INDIA-EU FTA.

AIDAN demands:-
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REMOVE:
- Investment Rules, which enable foreign companies to take the Indian government to private courts over domestic health policies like measures to reduce prices of medicines.
- Border Measures, which will deny medicines to patients in other developing countries with custom officials seizing generic medicines in transit.
- Injunctions, which undermine the independence of the Indian judiciary to protect right to health of patients over the profits of drug companies.
- Other Intellectual Property Enforcement Measures, which put third parties like treatment providers at risk of police actions and court cases.
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DON'T BRING BACK:
- Data Exclusivity, as it delays the registration of generic medicines and will not permit the placing of affordable versions of pediatric doses and combinations of 'off-patent' medicines on the market. IT'S NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE TRIPS AGREEMENT!
- Patent Term Extension, as it will extend patent life beyond 20 years.

The EU states that these two provisions are off the table. It must keep its word!

We urge you to look into this important issue and save the Indian generic industry from the onslaught of the multinationals, which in turn will save millions of lives all over the world!

Yours truly

(Dr Mira Shiva) - 09810582028
(Mr Srinivasan S) - 08056292350
(Dr Anant Phadke) -09423531478
(Dr Gopal Dabade) - 09448862270
(Mr Naveen Thomas) - 09342858056
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Dr Gopal Dabade,
57, Tejaswinagar,
Dharwad 580 002
Tel 0836-2461722
Cell (0)9448862270
www.jagruti.org
http://aidanindia.wordpress.com/
www.daf-k.cjb.net
Dr Gopal Dabade <dabadedr@yahoo.com>

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E-DRUG: U.S. Surgeon General Supports Recognition of Pharmacists as Health Care Providers
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The information below is from American college of Clinical Pharmacy. http://www.accp.com/international/index.aspx?iss=0212&art=2

U.S. Surgeon General Supports Recognition of Pharmacists as Health Care Providers

In December 2011, the Office of the Chief Pharmacist of the U.S. Public Health Service released a report to the U.S. Surgeon General on Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through Advanced Pharmacy Practice. The report is constructed around four focal points1:
  * Pharmacists Integrated as Health Care Providers: Definition of primary care; pharmacist roles; interprofessional collaboration and support
  * Recognition as Health Care Providers: Advanced pharmacy practice models; pharmacy education and training
  * Compensation Mechanisms: Essential for sustainability; legislation history; medication therapy management (MTM) under Medicare Part D
  * Evidence-Based Alignment with Health Reform: Quality of care and patient outcomes; disease prevention and management; cost-effectiveness and cost-containment; primary care workforce; access to care

The report summarizes pharmacists' contributions to patient care in various practice settings either as part of a health care team or as an individual provider working in collaboration with physicians in a pharmacist-delivered service. It highlights the role of the pharmacist in managing diseases through collaborative practice agreements with physicians in which pharmacists
  * perform patient assessment (subjective and objective data including physical assessment);
  * have prescriptive authority (initiate, adjust, or discontinue treatment) to manage disease through medication use and deliver collaborative drug therapy or medication management;
  * order, interpret, and monitor laboratory tests;
  * formulate clinical assessments and develop therapeutic plans;
  * provide care coordination and other health services for wellness and prevention of disease; and
  * develop partnerships with patients for ongoing (follow-up) care.

In addition to reciting the evidence supporting the impact of various pharmacist services on improving patient and health care outcomes, the report summarizes the economic benefit, explaining that, between 1998 and 2005, the overall average benefit gained was $10.07 per $1 of funds allocated to clinical pharmacy services.2-4

The report maintains that compensation mechanisms are needed to sustain such services that will be in alignment with health care reform and future primary care workforce demands and that pharmacists should be recognized as health care providers, as defined in the Social Security Act and other health legislation and policy.

In a public letter in support of the report, Regina Benjamin, M.D., MBA, U.S. Surgeon General, recognized that the comprehensive patient care services that pharmacists provide through collaborative practice agreements increase access to care, optimize patient outcomes, and contain health care costs. Moreover, she recommended that health leaders and policy-makers explore ways to expand such services.5 Dr. Benjamin noted that recognizing pharmacists as health care providers is appropriate and that compensation models are needed to sustain these patient-centered pharmacy services.

  1. Giberson S, Yoder S, Lee MP. Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through Advanced Pharmacy Practice. A Report to the U.S. Surgeon General. Office of the Chief Pharmacist. U.S. Public Health Service, December 2011. Available at www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/comms/pdf/2011AdvancedPharmacyPracticeReporttotheUSSG.pdf. Accessed February 1, 2012.
  2. Schumock GT, Meek PD, Ploetz PA, Vermeulen LC; and the Publications Committee of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Economic evaluations of clinical pharmacy services—1988-1995. Pharmacotherapy 1996;16:1188–208.
  3. Schumock GB, Butler MG, Meek PD, et al. Evidence of the economic benefit of clinical pharmacy services: 1996–2000. Pharmacotherapy 2003;23:113–32.
  4. Perez AD, Doloresco F, Hoffman JM, et al. Economic evaluations of clinical pharmacy services: 2001–2005. Pharmacotherapy 2009;29:128.
  5. 2011 Support Letter from the U.S. Surgeon General. Available at www.usphs.gov/corpslinks/pharmacy/comms/pdf/2011SupportLetterFromUSSG.pdf. Accessed February 1, 2012.

Atieno Ojoo
Technical Specialist, pharmaceuticals
Unicef Supply Division
Unicef Plads, Freeport
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Tel; +45 35 27 31 03
Fax: +45 35 26 94 21
http//www.unicef.org/supply
Atieno Ojoo <atisojoo@yahoo.co.uk>

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E-DRUG: U.S. Surgeon General Supports Recognition of Pharmacists as Health Care Providers (2)
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Atieno:
if pharmacists
       * perform patient assessment (subjective and objective data
including physical assessment);
       * have prescriptive authority (initiate, adjust, or discontinue
treatment) to manage disease through medication use and deliver
collaborative drug therapy or medication management;
       * order, interpret, and monitor laboratory tests;
       * formulate clinical assessments and develop therapeutic plans;
       * provide care coordination and other health services for wellness
and prevention of disease; and
       * develop partnerships with patients for ongoing (follow-up) care.

Which is the physician's role?
Best
Luis

Dr. Luis Justo
Editor *
Revista Redbioetica/UNESCO*
http://revista.redbioeticaunesco.org/
"Luis Justo" <ljusto@gmail.com>