US drug giant Abbott Laboratories has banned its new drugs in Thailand in response to the Thai government's decision to protect the health of its citizens by issuing a compulsory license on Abbott's AIDS drug Kaletra. Abbott's decision could potentially deny access to lifesaving drugs to the more than 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand, as well as to others with serious health conditions. The company's move has sparked outrage throughout the global health community.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
AIDS drug access alert: Abbott denies new drugs to Thai people
AIDS Healthcare Foundation, 14 March 2007
Bipartisan group of senators introduce the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007
United States Senator Dick Durban, 7 March 2007
A bipartisan group of Senators today introduced the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007, a comprehensive bill to help sub-Saharan African nations confront the alarming shortage of health workers; thirteen countries on the continent have fewer than 5 physicians per 100,000 people. The United States has 549 physicians per 100,000 people. "Increased funding from governments and private donors to expand health services holds the promise of saving millions of lives in Africa. But, a severe shortage of health workers on the ground represents a tight bottleneck slowing the flow of resources to patients who need them," said Dr Paul Farmer, medical anthropologist and a founder of Partners In Health. "Sub-Saharan Africa faces a shortage of more than 800,000 doctors, nurses, and midwives and an overall shortage of 1.5 million healthcare workers. The bill introduced, particularly with its focus on harnessing the power of paid community health workers, is a much needed step toward closing this gap."
CBIS and ICCR urge Abbott Labs to Keep HIV/AIDS drug on the shelf in Thailand
Christian Brothers Investment Services, 22 March 2007
Christian Brothers Investment Services, Inc. (CBIS) and 15 other faith-based institutional investors with approximately $35 million in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) holdings responded today to the pharmaceutical company's decision to withdraw new drug applications from Thailand with a request that Abbott immediately reverse its decision.
Patents versus patients in the fight against AIDS
Thangsing C, Abraham KK: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, March 2007
The global community has no hope of ending the AIDS pandemic as long as the interests of drug companies are rated higher than the lives of people in low- and middle-income countries. The innovations of the pharmaceutical industry have transformed AIDS, at least in the western world, from a virtual death sentence into a chronic, treatable disease. Our aim is not to destroy the geese that lay the golden eggs. However, a balance must—and can— be struck between protecting profits and protecting people’s lives. Drug companies are in the business of protecting profits. It is incumbent upon the citizens of the global community to protect people’s lives.
Further details: /newsletter/id/32151
WHO-led anti-counterfeiting coalition examines technologies to prevent fake drugs
World Health Organisation, 13 March 2007
More than twenty technology companies are responding to a call to support the fight against counterfeit medicines spearheaded by the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners. They were to join the IMPACT Working Group on Technology for a one-day meeting in Prague to assess technologies which could improve the global prevention, tracking and detection of counterfeit medicines. "In the case of anti counterfeiting, the challenges we face are finding technologies that cannot themselves be counterfeited and transferring them to resource poor settings at an affordable cost. While technology alone cannot solve the problem, some of these solutions could greatly enhance the ability to detect and deter the distribution of counterfeit medicines."
Are TRIPS protectionism at their worst?
Editorial: The Lancet 9555(369): 2, 2007
The article describes international campaigns that are trying to defend the access of poor people in the world to pharmaceuticals. Both campaigns are calling for the rules of a World Trade Organization agreement called Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property to be upheld. The pharmaceutical company Novartis is bringing the government of India to court for not granting a patent to the company for the cancer drug imatinib mesylate. India only grants patents for medicines that are new and innovative. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization of Thailand wishes to make a generic version of the drug efavirenz. The US government and the pharmaceutical company Merck believe that the Thai government should have asked Merck's permission first before developing the drug.
Compulsory Licences statement slated by NGOs
Khor M
A controversy has emerged in the last few days on statements made by the new World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Dr Margaret Chan on the compulsory licenses issued by the Thai government for the production of three patented drugs. Dr Chan was in Bangok to attend the Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2007 held on 1-2 February 2007. Witnesses noted quite a shocking series of events linked to the event.
Further details: /newsletter/id/32089
Generic drugs stand by WHO Chief slammed
Macan-Markar M: Inter Press Service News, 2 February 2007
Civil society and humanitarian groups slammed the new head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on the sidelines of a meeting here, after she appeared to favour the interests of pharmaceutical giants over the plight of the sick and the poor in the developing world.
Generic medicines defended by Malaysian Attorney-General
3D Information Note 6, 5 February 2007
Malaysia's Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani has publicly stated his country's stand "that generic drugs should not be restricted in any manner," as generics are cheaper than patented medicines. He made this statement before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), whose session concluded in Geneva last week. He was speaking in response to pointed questions from the Committee?s Chair, Jacob E. Doek, who asked Malaysian governmental representatives how they can ensure that trade agreements do not affect provision of generic medicines, particularly for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Generics License statement regretable says WHO Director General
Khor M: Third World Network, 15 February 2007
The WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan, has sent a letter to Thailand's Health Minister expressing regret for the embarrassment caused to his government by remarks she was reported to have made in Bangkok that were critical of the compulsory licenses granted by the government for three medicines. The letter follows the deep offence that Dr. Chan's comments had caused the government and particularly the Minister of Public Health. Dr. Chan's reported comments had also caused outrage among international health NGOs and grassroots health movements worldwide, especially groups representing people living with HIV-AIDS. More than 400 groups and individuals have sent her a protest letter asking her to change her views.