E-drug: MSF's response to G8 Statement
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For full text of the G8 statement see:
http://www.g8kyushu-okinawa.go.jp/e/index.html
MSF REACTION TO G8 COMMUNIQUE OKINAWA
Towards a 21st Century of Greater Prosperity - HEALTH
MSF WELCOMES AMBITIOUIS TARGETS TO FIGHT INFECTIOUS DISEASES BUT
CALLS ON G8 FOR EQUALLY STRONG ACTION, NOT EMPTY PROMISES
Okinawa, 23 July, 2000. The international medical relief agency
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) today welcomed the strong statement of
the G8 leaders to ensure that life-saving medicines become accessible
and affordable in the developing world. To avoid a repetition of the
Cologne G8 summit, which did not follow up on promises to cancel
debt, MSF called for concrete action to
ensure affordable treatment of patients.
'Unless practical measures are taken to address the barriers related
to patent monopolies and to ensure that developing countries can
invest in their public health care systems, this will be nothing but
empty promises and people will continue to die of curable diseases.'
said Dr Bernard Pecoul, Director of the MSF Access to Essential
Medicines Campaign. 'It is essential that developing countries are
actively involved from the start in the planning and implementation
of G8 proposals for health' he concluded.
People with AIDS-related meningitis in an MSF-supported Nairobi
hospital are being told to go home and die because the price of the
only effective treatment is beyond their means. Patent protection
keeps the price high (one day's treatment of fluconazole costs US$
16.00 per day in Kenya compared to US$ 0.60 per day in Thailand,
where it is not patent protected).
'Until now, rich countries have prioritized private profit and brand
name monopolies over encouraging developing countries to produce or
import cheaper quality generic medicines to save lives. This G8
signals a change' said Ellen �t Hoen, MSF's Globalisation Coordinator.
Every year, 17 million people die from infectious diseases around the
world, 95% of whom live in the developing world. A number of
medicines essential for the survival of millions are too costly for
most people living in poor countries. These medicines were discovered
over the last 20 years to respond to the needs of the North and are
increasingly covered by patents. The use of patents block the
production of less-expensive generic drug forms. At the
start of the summit, MSF called on the G8 leaders to develop and
support strategies that will lead to significant price reductions for
pharmaceuticals in developing countries, including: voluntary
licensing, compulsory licensing, and differential pricing policies.
MSF also welcomed the specific referral in the G8 statement to the
need for investment and cooperation in 'basic research and
development on new drugs, vaccines and other international public
health goods'. This should ensure that people in need benefit from
public money investment.
MSF was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize and used the prize money
to set up a Fund to fight Infectious Diseases. MSF is campaigning for
Access to Essential Medicines.
For further information Please call: Samantha Bolton Mob: +81 (0)90
1773 8939 (Eng, Fr, Ita) or Yoko Kamada Mobile: +81 (0)90 4599 6934
(Jap, Eng, Fre), or Akiko Kojo Mobile: 090 7184 99 20 (Jap, Eng), or
General tel: 0980 546615
<www.accessmed-msf.org>
"Ellen 't Hoen" <ethoen@hotmail.com>
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