[Ip-health] "Reneging on Doha": analysis of the diseases list for para 6

[Seco Gerard]

M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res has just released "Reneging on Doha", an analy=
sis
showing that proposals to restrict the scope of the "paragraph 6 solution"
of the Doha Declaration to a set list of diseases are deeply flawed.

The full report is available on:
www.accessmed-msf.org/documents/renegingondoha.pdf

Summary:  If  the  aim  of  the  paragraph 6 solution is to help developing
countries  increase  access  to  badly  needed treatments for public health
problems,  then the main causes of mortality in Africa should be covered by
the  agreement.  Yet  only a small random selection of the top 20 causes of
mortality  in  Africa  are  included  in  the  list  of "approved" diseases
proposed by the US and endorsed by the EU.

Which  of the major causes of mortality in Africa have been included in the
list?
Virtually  all  diseases  for  which  no  treatment  exists,  or  for which
treatment are so old as to be off-patent.

Which  of  the  top 20 causes of mortality in Africa have been left off the
list?
The  14 diseases or conditions that are common in the west or have multiple
patented treatments. In fact, excluding HIV/AIDS, almost all causes of high
mortality  and  morbidity for which patented Western drugs can be used have
been excluded from the list.

Restricting the agreement to a set list of diseases makes no public health
sense. This clear attempt to protect Western drug company interests will
contribute to keeping essential medicines out of reach of people in
developing countries.