E-drug: Sleeping sickness drugs back in production (MSF)
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Note: WHO and Aventis held a joint press conference today announcing
secured production for at least the next 5 years of three drugs for
sleeping sickness -- eflornithine, pentamidine, and melarsoprol. MSF,
which has been campaigning for two years to bring abandoned drugs back
into production, issued a separate press release, below.
P R E S S R E L E A S E
SUPPLY OF SLEEPING SICKNESS DRUGS SECURED
Geneva, May 3, 2001 - - The international humanitarian medical aid
agency M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF) welcomes today's agreement
between WHO and Aventis securing the production of life-saving
medicines to treat sleeping sickness (1). MSF is particularly glad
that Aventis has made a long-term commitment to guarantee the supply
of the drugs. Last year, Bayer announced that it would restart the
production of yet two other drugs to treat sleeping sickness.
WHO and Aventis have signed an agreement that outlines a donation of
eflornithine, pentamidine and melarsoprol large enough to cover global
need for five years. In addition, the company will donate money to
support WHO's programmes for sleeping sickness treatment and research.
Aventis also agrees to transfer technology and provide technical
assistance to potential long-term manufacturers of the drugs.
MSF, which has actively participated in bringing abandoned drugs back
into production for more than two years, will distribute the five key
drugs in the affected countries. "This agreement is excellent news for
patients, and a major step in the struggle to control sleeping
sickness", said Dr Bernard P�coul, director of the MSF Campaign for
Access to Essential Medicines. But according to experts, an effective
pan-African sleeping sickness control programme would cost $US 40
million per year. "Considering that the estimated annual value of
Aventis' donation is $US 5 million, it is clear that international
donor funding is still necessary to fully control the disease in
sub-Saharan Africa", Dr P�coul said.
The production of eflornithine, the most effective drug to treat
sleeping sickness, was stopped by Aventis (then Hoechst Marion
Roussel) in 1995 because the drug, used to treat patients in Africa,
wasn't making a profit. It took years of international pressure to
find a solution to restart the production of the life-saving drug.
This coincided with the media attention around the launch of
Bristol-Myers Squibb's (BMS) Vaniqa, an eflornithine-based product
intended to remove women's facial hair. In fact, BMS will be involved
in the deal announced today, by paying for part of the first year's
supply of eflornithine.
MSF has been caring for patients with sleeping sickness since 1985.
The organisation currently runs seven sleeping sickness control
programmes in Sudan, Angola, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
the Central African Republic and Congo Brazzaville. MSF will be
scaling up its efforts by starting three new treatment programmes by
the end of the year. Thanks to the availability of the new drugs,
affected governments will be able to expand their programmes as well.
MSF also warns that there are other examples of drugs and vaccines to
treat and prevent diseases affecting the poor in danger of being
abandoned. "It should not be necessary for individual doctors or
nurses, or non-governmental organisations, to pressure pharmaceutical
companies and governments to act. An international mechanism must be
put in place to ensure that essential medicines get produced in
sufficient quantities", said Dr P�coul.
For more information, please contact Daniel Berman (MSF Campaign for
Access to Essential Medicines) at ++41-(0)79-286 9649.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(1) Sleeping sickness is a neurological disease caused by a
parasite transmitted by tsetse flies. It is endemic in 36 African
countries, and it is estimated that it currently affects 500 000
people and threatens 60 million more. If left untreated, the disease
leads to irreversible coma and death.
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Suerie Moon
Editor
Access to Essential Medicines Campaign
M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF)
rue du Lac 12
CP 6090
1207 Geneva
Switzerland
tel: +41 (22) 849 84 01
fax: +41 (22) 849 84 04
access-com@geneva.msf.org
www.accessmed.msf.org
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