E-DRUG: MSF: WHA resolution on R&D is a "breakthrough"
-----------------------------------------------
World Health Assembly Passes Breakthrough Resolution
MSF Hails Move as 'Crucial First Step' toward Global R&D Framework
That Meets Health Needs
Geneva, Saturday May 27th 2006 - The medical humanitarian organisation
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) welcomes the breakthrough agreement on
essential health research and development (R&D) reached today by the World
Health Assembly. With a resolution passed by the annual meeting of health
ministers, governments today agreed to start talks to establish a global
plan of action to tackle the current crisis in R&D and to implement the
recommendations of the report of the Commission on Intellectual property,
Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH).
'The current system that is based on patents and high drug prices as the
way to finance R&D leaves huge health needs unmet, particularly in
developing countries, and it leaves millions without access to the drugs
they need,' said Ellen 't Hoen, Director of Policy and Advocacy at MSF's
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. 'Without political leadership,
the gaping holes in essential R&D and the lack of access to innovations
will never be adequately addressed. This week, we have seen health
ministers take the lead, and show that they want to set the priorities,
they want to find new ways of financing the development of new products,
and they want to assure access to innovations for all,' she added.
By passing the resolution that was based on an initial proposal by Kenya
and Brazil, countries are agreeing to work towards 'securing an enhanced
and sustainable basis for needs-driven, essential health R&D.' This will
ensure that patients' needs 'and not simply profits' drive medical
innovation.
'For the first time, we're starting to see action that begins to mirror
the magnitude of the problems and needs that we witness everyday in our
field programmes,' said Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of R&D at
MSF's Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. 'This is a crucial first
step that will help put in place new ways of stimulating R&D for health
problems that so far industry has ignored,' he added.
Published in April 2006, the CIPIH report added to the growing body of
evidence showing that the system is fundamentally flawed because it steers
investment towards areas of highest profitability, and thus fails to find
a balance between global medical needs and resource allocation.
James Arkinstall
james.arkinstall@paris.msf.org