E-DRUG: MSF Briefing document on Kenya's 2008 Anti-Counterfeit Bill (2)
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Hi,
I agree to the enlightened stand of MSF that counterfeits and substandard/ poor quality medicines are clearly two different issues. Where as counterfeits certainly need to be banned, action is also desired against the substandard medicines. But banning counterfeits does not mean banning all generics in the country. Such misguided contention will result in selective, intentional proliferation of branded medicine industry in the country. This way the country will be playing into the hands of branded medicine industry and sacrificing the paramount interest of its citizenry. Such proindustry policy is antipatient in terms of medicine affordability which in turn affects the accessibilty to medicines.
What are Kenyan medical doctors, medical association, medical activists, NGOs and pressure groups doing? Allowing smooth induction of such antipatient law?
May the better sense prevail.
Dr Vijay Thawani, India
vijaythawani@rediffmail.com
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