E-DRUG: Revised Drug Strategy at the WHA
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MEDIA ALERT
CRUCIAL DECISION TOMORROW AT
WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
Geneva, 21 May. As disputes heat up over access to essential medicines
in countries such as South Africa and Thailand the World Health Assembly
is posed to adopt a critical resolution. The resolution to the revised
drug strategy is seen by many as a key step to providing international
support for increased access to life-saving drugs.
The resolution, on the Revised Drug Strategy, will provide a clear role
for the WHO to monitor the consequences of international trade
agreements for public health. It also gives the WHO a mandate to assist
countries in their efforts to safeguard public health while implementing
these agreements. The initial WHO Revised Drug Strategy was ratified in
1986 and was designed to ensure equitable access to quality, essential
drugs and to promote their rational use.
"We are very concerned about the growing number of lives at risk because
of unequal access to medicines," said Dr. Bernard P�coul of M�decins
Sans Fronti�res (MSF) "MSF, together with Health Action International
(HAI) and the Consumer Project on Technology (CPT) wholeheartedly
support the passage of the resolution on the Revised Drug Strategy that
will be considered by the World Health Assembly this week. We believe
that the resolution helps to address the negative consequences of trade
agreements on access to medicines."
The resolution already has the support of the 59 member states that took
part in the drafting of the resolution, with input from the World Trade
Organization, international consumer groups, international
non-governmental organizations, and the pharmaceutical industry.
The revised resolution clearly emphasizes that "public health interests
are paramount in pharmaceutical and health policies" and addresses "the
impact of relevant international agreements, including trade agreements,
on local manufacturing capacity and on access to and prices of
pharmaceuticals in developing and least developed countries."
Intellectual property is an important mechanism for stimulating research
and development, but MSF, HAI and the CPT do not consider that these
rights should be absolute, especially when a large part of the world's
population does not have access to life-saving essential drugs. "What is
the use of having new, effective essential drugs if most people do not
have access to them?" says Ellen 't Hoen, head of the HAI team present
this week at the WHA.
"Africa is facing a mind boggling crisis and the world community needs
to respond. We need to embrace global rules for sharing the burdens of
essential medical research and development that explicitly facilitate
equitable access to new scientific discoveries. The World Health
Assembly is showing needed leadership on this issue," says James Love
director of Consumer Project on Technology.
To contact Health Action International, M�decins Sans Fronti�res, or
Consumer Project on Technology at the World Health Assembly, you can
call Ellen 't Hoen on + 31 6 55 73 54 72.
For further information contact the MSF's UK press office on + 44 ( 0)
171 713 5600.
M�decins Sans Fronti�res is the world's largest independent medical
relief organization, providing care to victims of war, disasters and
epidemics in 80 countries world-wide.
Health Action International is a network of more than 200 consumer,
health, development action and other public interest groups involved in
health and pharmaceutical issues world-wide.
Consumer Project on Technology is a US based non-profit research and
advocacy organization created by consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Its
activities focus on information technologies, intellectual property and
research and development.
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