E-DRUG: MSF statement on G8 summit
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Broken Promises: G8 Meeting and Access to Medicines
M�decins Sans Fronti�res Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
For External Use
June 7th 2004
On June 8th, the Group of Eight industrialised nations will hold their
annual summit on Sea Island, Georgia, in the United States. Every year the
G8 makes promises in regards to addressing malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS and
other diseases in developing countries, but concrete achievements are few.
At its 2000 summit in Okinawa, Japan, G8 countries promised to deliver on
the following targets:
� "Reduce the number of HIV/AIDS-infected young people by 25% by 2010";
� "Reduce TB deaths and prevalence of the disease by 50% by 2010";
� "Reduce the burden of disease associated with malaria by 50%";
Their statement stated that they would "implement an ambitious plan on
infectious diseases, notably HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis" by, among
other things:
� "Working to make existing cost-effective interventions, including key
drugs, vaccines, treatments and preventive measures more universally
available and affordable in developing countries";
� "Addressing the complex issue of access to medicines in developing
countries, and assessing obstacles being faced by developing countries in
that regard";
� "Strengthening co-operation in the area of basic research and
development on new drugs, vaccines and other international public health
goods."
Those were optimistic times, and fine phrases ? which have, for the most
part, not been followed through with. Promises have not materialised into
funding and support for programs designed to save lives.
Subsequent G8 summits have done nothing but water down those commitments.
If anything, political will seems to have declined, rather than increased:
� The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is starved
for money.
� The lack of research and development for neglected diseases such as
sleeping sickness, kala azar, Chagas disease, malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS is
not being addressed.
� International action to make cheap, quality medicines available to
patients in the developing world is being undermined by rich governments'
stubborn protection of their pharmaceutical industries.
� Developing countries are being coerced by certain G8 nations into
signing trade agreements that restrict their access to affordable essential
medicines.
MSF called on G8 nations to renew their commitments last year in Evian,
France. Since then nothing has happened. Action would mean:
� Fully funding the fight against major infectious diseases through the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other financing
mechanisms, ensuring that resources are spent wisely and in a coordinated
fashion in order to treat the largest number of people possible with
effective, affordable, and easy-to-use medicines;
� Increasing research and development (R&D) into new essential
medicines, diagnostics, and vaccines for neglected diseases such as
sleeping sickness, kala azar, Chagas disease, malaria, TB, and HIV/AIDS,
alongside political and financial support for innovative global strategies
to ensure needs-driven R&D;
� Ensuring that public health needs are prioritised over commercial
interests in international trade negotiations, including regional and
bilateral free trade agreements, so that intellectual property no longer
constitutes a barrier to access to medicines;
� Making existing essential medicines affordable to those who need them
by supporting an equity pricing system centred on generic competition, and
by abandoning reliance on voluntary, ad hoc efforts to increase access to
medicines, which do more to protect the interests of the pharmaceutical
industry than the lives of people in developing countries.
In the past year:
� three million people died of AIDS and five million were infected with
HIV;
� 2.5-3 million people died of tuberculosis and eight million became
sick from it; and
� 1-2 million people died of malaria and 300-500 million became sick
from it.
Sean Healy
Information Officer
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
M�decins Sans Fronti�res
Geneva, Switzerland
tel ++41-22-8498 401
fax ++41-22-8498 404
mobile tel ++41-79-239 9271
sean.healy@geneva.msf.org
www.accessmed-msf.org
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