[Ip-health] Schumer calls for complusory license on CIPRO for USA

[Sharonann Lynch]

Phone calls and faxes have been underway to Senator Schumer and 
Clinton regarding money for the Global AIDS Fund.

Health GAP and allies met with Schumer appropriations and health 
aides yesterday before his press conference calling for generic 
ciprofloxacin.  We were lobbying his office to sign on to a senate 
letter to the president asking for $1 billion for the global aids 
fund. The answer was pretty much a no.

This is a good time to call and fax his office.
Ask to speak to Polly Troenberg (legislative director)
[phone 202-224-6542, fax 202-228-4562] and say or write:

The New York Times makes the connection between Schumer's call for a 
compulsory license of Cipro and the barriers to access of AIDS and 
other essential drugs.

As a new yorker, I hope Schumer, himself, will see the connection and 
start to fight for the 8,000 people with HIV/AIDS a dying daily from 
treatable infections like diarrhea, pneumonia, cryptococcal 
meningitis, etc.

I hope his first step is to sign Leahy's senate letter to the 
president asking for $1 billion for the Global AIDS and Health Fund.

We have to expand our response and our compassion to the tragedy on 
September 11, 2001. As the richest country in the world we should now 
refuse to leave aside the immense suffering that is preventable with 
our collective humanity and our collective action.


>This is good news and should be exploited by activists. While there are
>huge differences between AIDS and the anthrax scare, the scare presents
>a great opportunity for the average American (or politician) to
>empathize with people in developing nations who are desperate to obtain
>drugs that are just out of reach.
>
>And it's an object lesson in how swiftly the Bayh-Dole Act or compulsory
>licensing *could* be implemented if there were political will to do so.
>
>Activists should be connecting the dots for politicians and the press.
>
>Katie
>
>Asia Russell wrote:
>>
>>  > Subscribers: Please add/update the following to the
>>  > Reuters Daybook for Tuesday, October 16:
>>  >
>  > > 2 p.m. -- (ANTHRAX/CIPRO/SCHUMER) NEWS CONFERENCE --
>>  > Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) holds a news conference
>  > > to announce a potential new source of cipro, the brand
>  > > name for ciprofloxacin, a drug for treating anthrax
>>  > which is patented by the Bayer Corporation. Sen.
>>  > Schumer will also ask the Health and Human Services
>>  > Department to sign contracts directly with
>>  > manufacturers to purchase generic versions of
>>  > ciprofloxacin.
>>  >
>>  > Location: The Capitol, Senate Radio-TV Gallery
>>  >
>>  > Contact: Phil Singer, 202-224-7433
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > --
>>  > James Love
>>  > Consumer Project on Technology
>>  > P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
>>  > http://www.cptech.org, mailto:love@cptech.org
>>  > voice: 1.202.387.8030 fax 1.202.234.5176 mobile 1.202.361.3040
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