E-drug: European Voice
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article appeared this week in the European Voice. It outlines
Commissioner Nielson's approach as "refocus the debate on the larger
picture of prevention and away from the long-running dispute between
NGOs and drug manufacturers over intellectual property rights for
essential medicines". Apparently the Commission is discussing
proposals for formal legislation. It would be a tremendous missed
opportunity if the Commission would fall for the artificial divide of
either prevent or treat. Prevention and treatment should be part and
parcel of a comprehensive strategy - one makes little sense without
the other.
DG Trade is holding another meeting on access to medicines including
agenda item on intellectual property rights on July 11th. It is not clear
how this session relates to the discussions in the Commission based
on Nielson's proposals. I will try to get some more information about
this from the Commission and keep you posted.
Ellen 't Hoen
Drug Policy Consultant
PO Box 15605
1001 NC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
e-mail: ethoen@compuserve.com
tel: + 31 20 6201743
fax: + 31 20 6201581
Mobile: + 31 6 55735472
[Copied as fair use. HH]
----------------------
www.european-voice.com
Volume 6 Number 26
29 June 2000
EU bids to step up fight against disease in poorest countries
By Renee Cordes
THE European Commission is set to call for wide-ranging measures to
prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases in the world's poorest
countries. The move is designed to signal the Union's determination to
step up the fight against infectious illnesses ahead of a meeting of the
world's most industrialised nations which will discuss the problem
later this month. In a report due to be discussed by the full
Commission next Wednesday (5 July), development chief Poul Nielson
will set out the case for launching an EU-wide drive to improve health
care in less developed countries. Nielson's approach is expected to be
warmly endorsed by his colleagues, who are considering a range of
options for combating the problem. Research Commissioner Philippe
Busquin is, for example, already exploring ways of increasing EU
funding for research into 'essential' drugs which are desperately
needed in impoverished nations. Nielson will seek to refocus the
debate on the larger picture of prevention and away from the
long-running dispute between non-governmental groups (NGOs) and
drug manufacturers over intellectual property rights for essential
medicines. Next week's Commission discussions, which will lay the
groundwork for a formal legislative proposal expected in the autumn,
comes just two weeks before the Group of Eight industrialised nations
are due to discuss the issue in Japan. Although the Commission will
only have observer status at the meeting, it hopes that a strong
message from the Union will set the tone for an ambitious
international agenda. "A number of issues will be addressed covering
the need to strengthen the health sector in general in developing
countries," said a Commission official, adding that the main emphasis
should be on prevention rather than treatment of symptoms. "It is not
just a question of getting the right drugs to the right people." Pressure
is mounting on the world's richest nations to stem the spread of HIV
and malaria, which together are responsible for more than 10,000
deaths a day in Africa. Malaria remains the leading cause of death in
sub-Saharan Africa and the number of cases has risen by about 40%
in the last 25 years. Some drug companies have already offered to
respond to the crises by selling their products at below-market prices
in developing countries. But critics argue that if these prices are not
set low enough for impoverished citizens to buy them, this could
cause greater harm because people might take those drugs in
substantially lower doses than required. The Commission move comes
as the world's largest pharmaceutical makers remain embroiled in a
battle with NGOs over proposed changes to the World Trade
Organisation's intellectual property rules. Trade Commissioner Pascal
Lamy has already met with the heads of leading drug firms to discuss
the issue. Under the existing TRIPs accord, which governs
trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights, governments can
cancel companies' patents on drugs in special circumstances to
respond to health crises through a system known as compulsory
licensing. The EU executive called last autumn for that right to be
extended to more than 300 drugs listed by the World Health
Organisation as essential. But drug firms argue that this might do little
good as many developing countries lack the distribution infrastructure
needed to get drugs to the people who need them. At a meeting with
Lamy this week, representatives from global health-care charity
Medecins Sans Fronti�res urged the Commissioner actively to
encourage competition from local manufacturers making generic
versions of pharmaceutical products and to encourage voluntary
licensing and technology transfer.
--
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'.