E-drug: Press release - HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Roundtable
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Press release - HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Roundtable
HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Roundtable: Drug Companies, UN
Agencies, African Governments, NGOs, private sector talks in Geneva
- Fondation du Present
GENEVA June 23, 2000 - A roundtable on comprehensive HIV/AIDS
access to care and treatment in Africa was convened this week to
help bring to life the UN-Pharmaceutical initiative announced May
11th. African Governments seeking to procure affordable HIV/AIDS
treatments and diagnostic products were invited by multinational
pharmaceuticals to enter into negotiations. Representatives from
Uganda stated their intent to include antiretroviral treatment within
their public health standards, regardless of current uncertainties in
infrastructure, placing the onus back on the developed world to take
the 'next' step.
Although health infrastructure is a basic requirement, it was strongly
felt that differential pricing (meaning that the same manufacturer
offers the same drug at different price in developing countries than in
developed countries) is the most important, and maybe the only way
to get orders of magnitude price reductions to broaden HIV/AIDS care
and treatment. Accordingly, the executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr.
Peter Piot, said that he first saw a solution when Sir Sykes offered the
possibility of such differential pricing for Glaxo Wellcome's products.
While details of specific products and their costs were not made
public at the meeting, Dr. Joseph Perriens from UNAIDS expressed his
concern that if price quotes are not made available by the time of the
Durban World AIDS Conference there will be trouble.
Brazil's pharmaceutical manufacturer Far-Manguinhos (Brazilian
Ministry of Health) affirmed its interest to be an exporter of HIV/AIDS
drugs and technology to African nations. Brazil provides HIV
treatments to its population at far less than global market prices
through local manufacturing, bulk purchasing and off-patent drugs.
Indian generic manufacturer, Reddy's Lab, stated its intention to seek
opportunities to help further reduce the costs of locally produced HIV
therapies in India.
Participants recognized the importance of developing specific
HIV/AIDS treatment access plans in compliance with Trade Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). The World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) and other UN bodies are working to
bring together the Ministries of Health and Ministries dealing with
intellectual property to address this issue in a practical, hands-on
fashion in their respective countries. A meeting is scheduled on June
30 in Geneva where these matters will be discussed.
Participants included the five pharmaceutical manufacturers involved
in the announcement (Merck, Hoffman-La Roche, Boehringer, Glaxo
Wellcome, Bristol Meyer Squibb), UN agencies (UNAIDS, WHO, WIPO,
WTO) African (Cote d Ivoire, Namibia, Uganda and South Africa) and
Brazilian government representatives, national and international NGOs,
and the private sector. Noticeably absent were the leading donor
representatives of the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the
US Government, and the European Union.
The Roundtable Meeting on HIV-AIDS Treatment Access Consensus
held in Geneva, June 19-20, 2000, was organized by the Fondation
du Present in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) and with support from the Ford Foundation. The
meeting was held at the offices of WIPO and proceedings will be
available through the Internet.
For additional comment, please contact:
Francisco Mingorance
Special Adviser to the Board
Fondation du Present, Geneva
tel: 4122-788-2733
e-mail: paco@hivnet.ch
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