E-DRUG: Kofi Annan & 7 drug companies on ARV access
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[Formal release of the meeting between Kofi Annan and "big seven" on 4
October. NN]
Joint communiqu� from Secretary-General and seven leading research-based
pharmaceutical companies on access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment
SG/SM/7982
AIDS/34
4 October 2001
Following is the text of a joint communiqu� issued today in New York by
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and seven pharmaceutical companies:
1. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, met today with
the CEOs and senior executives of seven of the world's leading
research-based pharmaceutical companies (Abbott Laboratories,
Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, F. Hoffmann-La
Roche, Merck and Co Inc, and Pfizer) and senior officials of WHO and UNAIDS,
to take stock of progress in expanding access to HIV treatment and care in
developing countries. The meeting followed on an earlier meeting held in
Amsterdam in April of this year.
2. Today's meeting reviewed the extent to which people of least developed
countries, particularly countries of sub-Saharan Africa, are able to access
the HIV care that they need, and ways to increase this access rapidly.
3. Since the CEOs last met with the Secretary-General, the companies, acting
individually, have taken significant steps to make HIV/AIDS-related drugs
more affordable and available for developing countries, particularly in
sub-Saharan Africa. They have intensified their partnerships with
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private employers, local communities
and health-care practitioners.
4. The Secretary-General, CEOs and United Nations officials agreed that
prices of medicines and diagnostics are an important component of efforts to
increase access to care, but -- on their own -- reduced prices are not suffi
cient to catalyse the scaling up that is needed. Additional resources are
required, together with the political will and skills to spend them
effectively. This means paying careful attention to the experiences of
individuals and groups who have shown that they are making a difference to
the lives of people at risk of, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. It also means
reporting -- widely -- on what they have achieved, and synthesizing their
experiences in a way that helps heads of State, governments and community
groups intensify their response to the HIV-related needs of populations.
5. Participants in the meeting discussed the challenges they face in detail.
They concluded that they will continue, in succeeding months, to work
together on the practical realities of scaling up responses to HIV/AIDS at
community level. They see the need to address HIV/AIDS in a comprehensive
manner with a package of prevention, diagnosis and care. They recognize that
effective care calls for reliable and accessible diagnosis, and without the
potential for care, increasing the impact of prevention is extremely
difficult.
6. With regard to care for people with HIV, the focus will involve defining
the elements of the package concerned with care (including, but not limited
to, anti-retroviral therapy), then identifying and accrediting those groups
who can provide this care; offering support to these accredited providers so
that they make care available to people who need it and establishing means
to subsidize poor people's access to this care in ways that use scarce
resources as efficiently as possible.
7. Participants agreed to join forces with other partners in the fight
against HIV infection and AIDS -- employers (and their workforces), NGOs,
academics, faith-based groups and missions. They will use their experience
to help governments respond effectively to the needs of all. They agreed
that they would work together to make the Global AIDS and Health Fund a
success. They will communicate and report their results widely.
8. Summing up, J-P Garnier, on behalf of the companies, said "we will be
working together to put our fingers on the triggers for efficacy". The
Secretary-General endorsed the collective commitment to make a difference,
responding to the enormous challenge of curbing the AIDS epidemic and the
resulting devastation to millions of the world's poorest people.
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