E-DRUG: Kenya Can Benefit From Looser Patent Restrictions on Drugs
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[crossposted from IP-Health with thanks; copied as fair use.NN]
Health Experts: Kenya Can Benefit From Looser Patent Restrictions on
Drugs
by Katy Salmon, Nairobi, 16 Nov 2001
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=D5BBF02B-3FFA-4B4E-A39FC20
9593D9FBC&Title=Health%20Experts%3A%20Kenya%20Can%20Benefit%20From%20L
ooser%20Patent%20Restrictions%20on%20Drugs
Experts in Kenya say the country could benefit under an agreement
reached at the World Trade Organization conference this week that
allows
poor countries to override patents on lifesaving drugs in emergency
situations. Kenya has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the
world and has been campaigning to make life-prolonging AIDS drugs more
affordable.
In Kenya, about 700 deaths a day are attributed to AIDS-related
causes,
leading President Daniel arap Moi to declare AIDS a national disaster.
Anti-retroviral drugs allow people infected with HIV to live longer,
healthier lives. But they cost around $1,000 a year, three times the
average Kenyan's income.
The agreement reached at the WTO conference would allow poor countries
to manufacture and import cheaper generic versions of these drugs, at
a
cost of around $350 a year.
Sophie-Marie Scouflaire, of the Kenya Coalition for Access to
Essential
Medicines, has said her group plans to lobby the government to issue
compulsory licenses to generic manufacturers. "The main gap at the
moment is that the ministry of health has to identify good quality
generic suppliers and manufacturers, and make sure they can approve
them
by the pharmacy and poisons board. And, as soon as they are approved,
the ministry of trade can give the license, and we have the medicines
available. So, now, we have a big work to follow what the government
will do, and make sure they act for the benefit of our people," she
said.
Ms. Scouflaire has said generic drugs could be available to Kenyans as
soon as January. "For local manufacturers, it will take some months.
But
if we can give licenses to international generic manufacturers, then
normally we could say in January the medicines should be here," she
said.
Kenyan Trade and Industry Minister Nicholas Biwott told reporters he
is
pleased that his ministry can now issue compulsory licenses without
fear
of challenge.
But Ms. Scouflaire is worried that many in government do not
understand
the details of the WTO agreement. She said she will be visiting the
ministry of health next week to make sure they take full advantage of
the new concessions.
---------
Kenya Govt Negotiating Importation of Cheap Aids Drugs
November 9, 2001
Victor Bwire And Samuel Otieno
http://allafrica.com/stories/200111090055.html
The Ministry of Health is negotiating the importation of cheap
generic Aids drugs from Pakistan, Minister for Public Health, Mr
Maalim Mohammed, has said.
The minister said Kenyans were dying in large numbers from the
disease because of poverty, forcing his ministry to lead discussions
with various companies to let in Aids drugs at reasonable costs to
save the situation.
He said all efforts were being made to encourage pharmaceutical
companies to reduce prices of anti-retrovirals and announced his
ministry's commitment to negotiating and facilitating the
availability of affordable drugs.
Addressing a delegation of pharmaceutical managers from Pakistan who
had paid him a courtesy call at Afya House yesterday, the minister
said with a population of 30 million, the country was in desperate
need for cheaper drugs.
Meanwhile, Kenya will soon have to change to more effective malaria
treatment methods following increased resistance to Sulphadoxine
Purimethamine (SP) that had earlier been touted as the best
alternative to the failed Chloroquine.
The decision by the Government to formulate a policy that advocated
the use of SP monotherapy as opposed to the widely used combinational
therapy goes against the basic principals of the "Roll Back Malaria"
resolutions.
Malaria experts at the East African Network for Monitoring
Anti-Malaria Treatment have blamed the Government for the slow
response in changing the malaria policy like other countries which
had opted for the effective combinational therapy.
"Evidence from Busia, Kirinyaga and Kisumu indicate that SP
resistance is beyond the 'action' level of 25% thereby proving that
SP resistance in Kenya has emerged faster than the cases was with
Chloroquin resistance" the experts said.
This view is supported by a senior Malaria researcher at the
Institute of Primate Research, Mr. Janeby Maamum who said the malaria
parasites had become increasingly resistant to first-time medications
hence the need for the combination therapy.
"As earlier feared, Kenya may have to undergo another expensive
policy change to accommodate this eventuality. Researches the world
over have shown that addition of the drug Artemether to the standard
malaria treatment of SP/pyrimethamine can increase the efficacy and
protection against drug resistance," Maamun said.
The researcher said there were significant gains in parasite
clearance and overall cure rates when artesunate was given in
combination with first-time drugs.
"A blister package containing one dose of Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine
and three doses of artesunate provide the needed high quality,
affordable, effective and safe treatment for malaria," he advised.
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