[Ip-health] FW: [AEGiS] HEALTH-WEST AFRICA: Govts Urged to Ease Access to Cheap AIDS

[Asia Russell]

HEALTH-WEST AFRICA: Govts Urged to Ease Access to Cheap AIDS
Drugs
Inter Press Service - March 5, 2002
Brahima Ouedraogo
http://ww2.aegis.org/news/ips/2002/Ip020304.html
------------------------------------------------

OUAGADOUGOU, Mar 5 (IPS) - Some 150 anti-AIDS groups have urged
the government of Burkina Faso to reject the revised Bangui
Agreement - of the African Organisation for Intellectual Property
- which, they argue, will limit access to cheap generic drugs.

The revised Bangui Agreement, which was supposed to come into
effect on Feb 28, allows for doubling the duration of 10-year
patents to 20 years. Sixteen French-speaking countries belong to
the African Organisation for Intellectual Property (OAPI), which
was formed in 1997.

Dr Henry Compaore of the Social Alert, a non-governmental
organisation (NGO), says all the 150 NGOs have urged the
Burkinabe government to reject the implementation of the
agreement.

The OAPI board of directors meets in two months time to decide on
the implementation date. Burkina Faso is a member of the board.

"Our countries often ratify accords without consulting us (civil
society)," says Compaore.

"The revised accords provide more protection for patent holders
and limit the production and importation of generic medications,"
says a joint statement by the 150 NGOS.

Excluding the NGOS will, says the statement, prevent African
countries from benefiting from the recommendations of last
November's World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting in
Doha, Qatar.

"The accomplishments of Doha risk being dashed for the countries
governed by the Bangui Agreements," says Catherine Gavin of
Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

According to her, the Bangui Agreement prevents parallel
importation from a third country and excludes the possibility of
importing generics from India and Brazil, the two principal
producers of anti-retroviral (ARV) generics.

"By ratifying this agreement, Burkina Faso, like other countries
in Africa, has excluded itself from importing generics, notably
ARVs against AIDS, since these generics are manufactured outside
the OAPI revised Bangui Agreement".

Burkina Faso hosted the 12th CISMA, whose theme was "Community
Commitment", on Dec 9-13 last year.

OAPI members comprise Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central
African Republic (CAR), the Republic of Congo, Cote D'Ivoire,
Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo.(END/IPS/AF/HE/HD/TRA-
FRE/BO/SZ/MN/02) .

020305
IP020304

Copyright (c) 2002 - Inter Press Service. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other
than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the
Inter Press Service, IPS-ONLINE, World Desk via Panisperna 207
00184 Rome, Italy. Email: info@ips.org  http://www.ips.org




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Asia Russell
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Health GAP Coalition

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