E-drug: HIV treatments: Action Points
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The Access to Treatment Seminar held by the UK NGO AIDS
Consortium came up with a list of action points addressing
the need for treatment in developing countries. Much of the
discussion involved drugs: access to, the costs around, the
infrastructure required, for not only of ARVs but also of
basic drugs for opportunistic infections and the like.
The following actions were mentioned at the seminar as a
real need for HIV. Some participants and members of our
working group pointed out that much of this work has been
done alreadyin relation to other drugs (especially in terms
of drug availablity, cost and the pharmaceutical
industries) but the information has not been disseminated
to those who are primarily interested in the social
and development issues around HIV/AIDS.
Below are a selection of issues which relate primarily to
drugs. We are asking for the expertise of this group for
suggestions on who is currently working in these areas and
for publications, documents, studies and the like which can
be disseminated.
For more information on the seminar, our consensus
statement, full list of action points or the final report,
please go to http://www.bmaids.demon.co.uk/
ukaidscon/accrpt.htm or contact the UK NGO AIDS Consortium.
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* Monitoring Drug Availability*
A mechanism needs to be developed for monitoring drug
availability. This requires further definition of which
drugs and which systems. The Consortium Working Group in
partnership with the Essential Drugs Project will continue
as main contact point for this - please send us information
on current systems and areas of concern. Initially, we will
work through existing contacts to find out what monitoring
systems exist and who is interested in developing this area
of work.
Contacts will be made with other key agencies including WHO
Drug Action Programme
Contact
Essential Drugs Project
edp@gn.apc.org
or on fax 44 181 318 1419
*Increasing access to oral morphine*
25% of PWAs will have pain which will require oral morphine.
Participants endorsed the need for a campaign to demystify
medical use of oral morphine and distinguish it from
non-medical use and campaign for legalisation.
This is included in the Consensus Statement which will be
widely distributed through email and through the Geneva
Conference. The Consensus Statement can be used as an
advocacy tool to start with.
It was also felt that there needs to be greater discussion
as to the reasons why morphine is such a contentious issue
Potential Partnerships for legal drug reform could include:
legal/ethical networks International drug users action group
International harm reduction network
Potential partnership:
a) between essential drugs networks and networks working on
HIV transmission and recreational drug use - this could
advocate for a Resolution at the World Health Assembly b)
each region, set up partnership between HIV law and ethics
groups set up by UNDP with international drug users action
group, and national pharmaceutical networks.
The Consortium Working Group will contact UNDP to discuss
partnership with the Law and Ethics Regional networks.
In addition, participants can help to draw the attention of
governments and NGOs working with HIV to the WHO Book on
Cancer Pain Relief. This will help to enable learning from
other conditions to be transferred to HIV.
This will also link into the IAPAC Commitment in Vancouver
Contact
UK NGO AIDS Consortium
ukaidscon@gn.apc.org
Fax: 44 171 401 8231
* Research on national drug policies and the influence of
pharmaceutical companies*
New research or dissemination of existing research on
national drug policies and the involvement and impact of
pharmaceutical companies is needed, to explore the extent to
which pharmaceutical companies may influence national drug
policies.
Links need to be made between those concerned about drug
policies and the influence of pharmaceutical companies in
relation to HIV and the existing body of work on this in
relation to drugs for other conditions.
Health Action International has worked extensively on this
subject. hai@hai.antenna.nl http://www.haiweb.org/
Any other suggestions on organisations who have done
workin in this area, please contact the UK NGO AIDS
Consortium
*Ethics in relation to prescribing through
for-profit systems*
More work needs to be done to develop professional ethics
where prescribing may be influenced by financial benefit.
Contact for follow up on this issue:
BMA Foundation for AIDS
hilary@bmaids.demon.co.uk
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UK NGO AIDS Consortium
Fenner Brockway House
37-39 Great Guildford Street
London SE1 OES, UK
Tel: 44 171 401 8231
Fax: 44 171 401 2124
ukaidscon@gn.apc.org
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