[Ip-health] Babelfish on Tribune de Geneve article

[James Love]

Platform of Geneva WHO reduced to silence its expert threatened of death 
GERMAN ANDRE 
August 25 2001 

AIDS - Vis-a-vis with pharmaceutical industry, the agency adopts a low
profile. " I do not deny, I do not confirm. " Spokesman of WHO, Gregory
Hartl obviously received for instruction to make the blackout on the
physical aggressions and the death threats whose Dr. German Velasquez
has been the target for three months (to read our editions of
yesterday). Contacted by telephone, this last also keeps silence.
Certainly not by decency, since it does not exclude that the articles
published in the international press can contribute to its personal
security. Perhaps eloquent, this dumbness betrays the ambiguous relation
that the World Health Organization maintains with pharmaceutical
industry and reveals the paramount role played by the Colombian
high-ranking civil servant in the international fight to improve the
access to the essential drugs ­ in particular against the AIDS. To
circumvent OMC If German Velasquez had never been at this point molesté
before last 26 May in Rio de Janeiro, the man is for a long time the
object of attempts at intimidation. It is that it is in the center of an
iron arm which opposes as much the countries rich to the areas under
development, that the multinationals of pharmacy to manufacturing of
generic drugs (copies of the original drugs). Its work has a direct link
with the famous lawsuit of the 39 industrialists against the
South-African State or with the current dispute between Roche and
Brazil, which intends to circumvent the patents on the trithérapies. In
May 1996, the 49e world Assemblée of Health indeed controlled a "
report/ratio on the impact of the activity of the world Organization of
trade (OMC) concerning the national pharmaceutical policies and the
essential drugs ". Economist trained with the Sorbonne and famous author
of the industry of the drug and the Third World, German Velasquez saw
himself entrusting the mandate. The Colombian thus studied à.fond very
discussed " Agreement on the aspects of ownership intellectual which
touches with the trade " (shortened in English: TRIPS). He concluded
from it that these international payments are the fruit of negotiations
dominated by the rich countries and that engagements go sometimes
against the economic and social development to most underpriviledged.
The expert thus encourages them to fully exploit the periods cut-over
granted before the entry into force from these agreements, but also to
explore the exceptions authorized by the rule: " parallel " imports of
patented drugs sold at a lower price in another country, or " obligatory
licence " allowing in a State to authorize, for reasons of public
health, the local production of credits. Spokesman curtly positioned
back In short: the report/ratio explains to the Third World how to
defend a policy of health without violating the agreements of OMC.
Called the " red book ", this document immediately became the reference
work. And it is with this bible under the arm that German Velasquez
traverses the developing countries. What hardly likes to the Uncle Sam.
Eighteen months during, the Mission étasunienne in Geneva prevented any
publication, pretexting the incompetence of the Colombian. Finally a
second shutter was added, including the comments of industry in
particular. Under these conditions, the general director of WHO had the
merit not to repudiate her collaborator. That said, Gro Harlem
Brundtland adopts a low profile with each time are criticized the
multinationals. Undoubtedly because the Norwegian one is the uncontested
championne alliances with the private sector. Aventis Pharma, Boerhinger
Ingelheim, Bristol-board-Myers Squib, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffman -La Rock,
Merck, Novartis, Pfizer... All these companies signed partnerships with
the agency onusienne, being committed providing remedies free or at
reduced price. WHO seems like bâill