[Ip-health] EC missive ACCESS TO MEDICINES: BRUNDTLAND AND LAMY PUSH AHEAD

[James Love]

This is a communication from the Trade Directorate-General of the European
Commission.

Attention:  Mr James  LOVE
            Director
            Consumer Project on Technology ( CPTech )
            USA
    Email:  love@cptech.org

ACCESS TO MEDICINES: BRUNDTLAND AND LAMY PUSH AHEAD

Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health
Organization (WHO), on Thursday met Pascal Lamy, European Union (EU)
Trade Commissioner, to push ahead with the agenda to improve access
to medicines for developing countries.

Dr Brundtland commended Pascal Lamy for the spirit in which he is
conducting negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on
compulsory licenses for developing countries with limited or no
manufacturing capacity. She and Commissioner Lamy made the following
joint statement:

'WHO and the EU agree that WTO members need to find a sustainable,
balanced, and workable solution for these countries.  In the spirit
of the WTO Doha Ministerial Conference in 2001, the solution should
be applicable in the shortest possible time. The solution should
also be supportive of WTO Members' right to protect public health
and to promote access to medicines for all.

The Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health made at the launch of the
Doha Development Agenda underscores a pro-public health approach in
international trade. In its role as technical adviser on health
issues and access to medical technologies, WHO looks forward to
close cooperation with the EU.

WHO will also seek to co-operate closely, where appropriate, with
WTO and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on
technical assistance to developing countries implementing the TRIPS
Agreement along the lines of the Doha Declaration.

Health care providers and consumers in the poorest countries need
the lowest possible prices to make essential medicines affordable to
all. We call for continued efforts by the international community,
research-based companies, and generic pharmaceutical producers to
achieve this on a sustainable basis.

The EU and WHO will continue to analyse the effects of abolishing
tariffs and taxes on medicines imported into developing countries.'

For more details on this topic, go to:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/pdf/med_wd.pdf
http://trade-info.cec.eu.int/europa/2001newround/050-02-rev.pdf
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/csc/med.htm






European Commission, Trade DG, Information Unit
Email: eis@cec.eu.int
WWW: http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade
Fax:   +32-2-296-9854
To notify the European Commission of any changes to your contact
details, please quote the following reference number: 59SCS8

--------------------------------
James Love mailto:james.love@cptech.org
http://www.cptech.org +1.202.387.8030 mobile +1.202.361.3040