E-drug: WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF meet with generics industry
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear all,
On 26 February 2003 the Director-General of WHO and senior staff
of WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS met with a group of generic
manufacturers. A joint statement as well as contact details for
further information can be found below.
Dr Hans V. Hogerzeil
Coordinator for Policy, Access and Rational Use
Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy
WHO, Geneva
e-mail: hogerzeilh@who.int
-----
JOINT STATEMENT UNICEF/WHO/4
26 February 2003
UN AGENCIES AND GENERIC PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
STEP UP COLLABORATION TO EXPAND ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL
MEDICINES
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recognize that
the generic pharmaceutical industry has a vital role to play in efforts
to provide safe and effective medicines at low cost to improve
health and save lives. At meetings this week, WHO's Director-
General, Gro Harlem Brundtland welcomed the commitment
made by the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA)
and generic manufacturers of antiretrovirals (ARVs) to work in close
collaboration with UN agencies to achieve increased access to safe
and effective medicines of assured quality.
Future collaboration will include work on motivating increased
competition to achieve lower prices, quality assurance and scaling
up essential medicines provision for priority diseases such as
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. IGPA members agreed that
participating in projects such as the UN Interagency quality
assessment of pharmaceutical suppliers and products would stand
them in good stead for providing their services to international and
local medicines procurement.
The meeting with generic ARV manufacturers was jointly initiated
by WHO and UNAIDS to confirm that the UN family is fully
committed to working with the international generic industry as well
as brand name companies to scale up access to HIV/AIDS care. The
annual WHO roundtable with the brand name companies was held
earlier this month.
The generic industry reiterated its commitment to working with the
international community to achieve progressively lower prices and
sustainable supply of key HIV medicines, including, wherever
possible, the development of simplified quality treatments through
single pill fixed-dose combinations.
They agreed that the target of three million people on ARV
treatment by 2005 is achievable with the collective efforts of the
world's pharmaceutical industries, provided that there is sufficient
financing, a predictable demand for ARVs, and a solid commitment
to building up supply and care capacities in countries.
Participants at the meetings included Chief Executive Officers and
senior managers from companies and associations in Asia, Europe,
Latin America and North America.
For more information contact:
Daniela Bagozzi - Communications Officer; Health Technology and
Pharmaceuticals; WHO, Geneva; tel. +41 22 791 45 44; mobile,
+41 79 475 54 90; E-mail: bagozzid@who.int
or
Chris Powell - Information Officer; Family and Community Health;
WHO, Geneva; Telephone: (+41 22) 791 2888; Mobile phone:
(+41) 79 217 3425; E-mail: powellc@who.int
or
Hanne Bak Pedersen; Chief Pharmaceutical Adviser; UNICEF Supply
Division; telephone: +45 35 27 30 60; e-mail:
hpedersen@unicef.org
--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug