E-DRUG: HAI Briefing Note re UN High Level meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases
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Dear E-druggers
High medicine prices know no bounds - they affect all countries, all
diseases, and affect all people (both directly and indirectly). But the
greatest price is paid by those who suffer with a chronic
non-communicable disease (NCD) and who are forced to pay for medicines
out-of-pocket.
Data in Health Action International's (HAI's) medicine price and
availability database show that prices for NCDs are often high,
treatments are not affordable for those on low wages, and availability
is often abysmal especially in the public sector. So while effective
treatments for the majority of the global NCD burden exist, universal
access remains out-of-reach.
HAI calls on delegates to the UN High Level meeting on NCDs next week in
New York to refocus on the attainable goal of universal access to
essential medicines as a core priority for the treatment of NCDs.
Reliable, accessible, potentially cheap and effective treatments with
generic medicines for the majority of NCDs such as cardiovascular
disease, diabetes and asthma are within our grasp. It is time to
scale-up efforts to increase use of low-priced quality assured generic
medicines.
Donors need to recognise the paucity of support for essential medicines
initiatives, globally, regionally and nationally, such as those by WHO,
civil society and governments. In the longer term, donors should
consider scaling-up support to establish a Global Fund for Essential
Medicines for Non-Communicable Diseases that promotes universal access
to low-priced generic medicines of assured quality and has the
determination, resources and political will to drive a new era in access
to essential medicines.
To access HAI's briefing note 'Universal Access to Medicines for
Non-Communicable Diseases: Within our Grasp but Out-of-Reach' go to
http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/ or http://www.haiweb.org/
Access HAI's medicine price and availability database on
http://www.haiweb.org/MedPriceDatabase/
Regards
Marg Ewe
Coordinator, Global Projects (Pricing)
HAI Global
Amsterdam
Email marg@haiglobal.org