E-drug: Press Release ACT UP-Paris: W.H.O. slaving for big Pharma
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Press release 96 Friday June 2, 2000
W.H.O. SLAVING FOR BIG PHARMA
During the radio show "la suite dans les ides" broadcast today at
12:45 on French radio France Culture, Daniel Tarantola, #2 at WHO and
political advisor to the Director, has taken the defense of the big
pharmaceutical monopolies interests - against those of People With
AIDS around the world.
Mr Tarantola has admitted, before ACT UP and the French audience, that
the recent announcement by 5 large pharmaceutical companies is void of
concrete proposals, and that the negotiations concerning pricing have
not really started.
At the same time, WHO, though given a mandate by its Assembly to
support Member States in their efforts to procure affordable
treatments, is not ready to set up or support initiatives conducive
to competition between multinational drug companies and generics
manufacturers.
Mr Tarantola, for his part, thinks that WHO has neither the capacity,
nor the mandate, to circulate an updated database on comparative world
prices of HIV and AIDS drugs, thus quoting the exact words of the
pharmaceutical lobby. WHO would thus content itself with offering
support to countries - at their request only - in implementing an
appropriate international price watchlist.
Mr Tarantola makes it clear that he prefers to leave the giant
pharmaceutical companies to negotiate with "client" countries in a
bilateral fashion, rather than define a negotiation framework which
would better represent the public health interests of the developing
countries. He is suspiciously geared to turn into a salesman for big
pharma.
In this fashion, he intends to leave African countries disarmed before
US and EU pressures and their economic reprisal threats against "problem
clients" : countries who might wish to shop from the cheapest source -
for example the Brazilian, Thai or Indian copy-drug manufacturers whose
products boast equal quality and affordable prices.
In truth, Mr Tarantola does not support the HIV Resolution recently
passed by the WHO Member States at the last World Health Assembly.
WHO does not support the millions of people with AIDS living in
developing countries: once again, it is siding with the pharmaceutical
lobby.
Contact : Marie de Cenival, ACT UP-Paris : 00 33 1 49 29 44 75
"Planet Africa" <planetafrica@asso.globenet.org>
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