E-drug: Qatar: WTO not to block access to treatment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qatar: WTO must not be allowed to block access to treatment
Between November 9 and November 13, in Qatar, the WTO will
have to take a position on access to drugs for people in developing
countries. African governments are asking for a moratorium on legal
actions before the WTO against poor countries who use cheap drug
copies to treat their sick. If the WTO refuses this request, it will
have chosen its side: the side of rich countries. By strengthening
the monopoly of giant drug companies, it will continue to block
access to treatment.
In spite of international mobilization, 90% of AIDS patients in the
world still do not have access to medications necessary to their
survival. Every day, thousands of people who could be treated die.
In this context, the price of drugs plays a determining role. The
multiplication of producers is thus essential in order to assure
sustained access to the full range of anti-HIV/aids drugs for people
with aids in poor countries.
The international agreements on intellectual property authorize
countries to produce or import copies of drugs. Some of the
anti-HIV drugs are manufactured in certain countries, like India or
Brazil, where they are sold at low prices - which in turn forces the
pharmaceutical multinationals to align their prices. But the majority
of developing countries, under Western pressure, still hesitate to
authorize the production or import of copies of drugs, fearing
economic reprisals. Thus, local production so far concerns only a
very few special countries, and it is still impossible to find
affordable versions of the most recent and effective HIV drugs,
anywhere in the world.
This is why the countries of the Organization of African Unity are
demanding that in November, the WTO give official guarantees to
countries that wish to resort to copies of drugs.
The United States and the European Union are fiercely opposed to
this measure and continue to impose on developing countries rules
that are more restrictive than the WTO agreements. In spite of
recent assurances by certain political leaders, the practical policy of
these governments is to deny poorest countries, through couvert
economic threats, the right to implement legal provisions which
they themselves use commonly in fields other than health (e.g.
defence-grounded compulsory licenses). Thus, Western countries
maintain a policy of medical exclusion against the millions of people
with aids who live in poor countries.
In Qatar, Trade Ministers of the world will ratify a statement that
will specify the rules of international trade for the years to come. As
regards access to treatment and health, this will be of considerable
import. It is paramount that developing countries now be left to
produce and distribute quality, affordable generic drugs in peace,
without fear of economic retaliation.
Beyond the moratorium required by the African countries, the rules
of the game need to be changed. The WTO cannot be allowed to
block access to health.
Signatories : WOFAK (Kenya), TAC (Afrique du Sud), ACT UP/East
Bay (US), R�seau Sant� Bouak� (Cote d'Ivoire), Health Gap
Coalition (US), AIDS ACCESS Foundation (ACCESS) (Thailand), The
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (Canada), Act Up (France),
NOLFOWOP (Cameroun), ALCS (Maroc), Mieux Vivre avec le Sida
(Niger), CESAC (Mali), RECAJELS (R�publique Centrafricaine),
ARAMBE / KAFU-ATA (B�nin), Medecins d'Afrique (R�publique du
Congo), REDS (Cameroun), ARCAD/SIDA (Mali), Association
African Solidarit� (Burkina Fasso), AFSU (Cameroun), etc.
--
Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.
Information and archive http://satellife.healthnet.org/programs/edrug.html
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.