[Ip-health] RESEND: Urgent sign-on: Bush plans to destroy generic AIDS drug industry

[Paul Davis]

[sorry for committing the unforgivable e- faux pas of sending with a few
thousand addresses visible. At any rate, hopefully this is a more usable
format. ALSO: we are now at 220 NGOs signed on, although this list of
signers below note has not been updated.]

24 Mar 2004

Dear friends,

The Bush Administration has launched the most insidious assault in the
history of the global AIDS treatment access movement. On Monday and Tuesday
March 29 and 30, the White House is convening a completely spurious meeting
in Botswana to apply the thumbscrews to impoverished nations everywhere to
deny generic medicines to treat AIDS. The Administration is attempting to
create new policy that would A) discredit internationally recognized
standards on drug quality, B) prohibit the use of affordable and proven-
effective single-pill combinations in all US programs and C) make it all bu=
t
impossible for developing countries to use other funding streams or their
own resources for the procurement of generics. THIS MEETING MUST NOT BE
SUCCESSFUL, and we MUST give as much support as possible to the NGOs and
country governments that will resist this attack from the United States.

In just 48 hours, already 195 NGOs have signed on. PLEASE sign your
ORGANIZATION on to this letter AS SOON AS POSSIBLE -- the letter is closed
by the end of Friday. Send *organizational* endorsements to:
pdavis@healthgap.org -- sorry, we are not collecting individual endorsement=
s
right now.

The sign-on letter is below.

Best regards,

Paul Davis
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
pdavis@healthgap.org
t: +1 215.833.4102 (mobile)
f: +1 215.474.4793
www.healthgap.org

---------
26 March 2004

Ambassador Randall Tobias
Global AIDS Coordinator
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.


Dear Ambassador Randall Tobias,


We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to express our serious
concerns about efforts by the Bush administration and by your office to
block the use of affordable generic HIV/AIDS medicines in U.S.-financed
programs in poor countries. In order to mount a rapid and successful
response to the growing AIDS pandemic, we call upon you to ensure that
programs use the most affordable medicines available, and accept the curren=
t
drug quality standards of World Health Organization=B9s drug prequalificati=
on
program.

We are particularly concerned about the U.S.-initiated =B3Conference on
Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) Drug Products: Scientific and Technical Issues
related to Safety, Quality, and Effectiveness,=B2 29-30 March 2004 in
Gaborone, Botswana. This meeting needlessly casts doubt upon the clinically
proven quality of generic AIDS medicines, and disregards the WHO=B9s
internationally recognized Drug Prequalification Program. The meeting is
intended to create a justification to use only expensive, more complex
branded treatment regimens in international assistance programs, and will b=
e
used by the US to justify its efforts to use bilateral assistance programs
to lock generics out of developing countries. Of particular concern is your
attempts to discredit the use of urgently needed fixed- dose combinations
(FDCs) of antiretroviral AIDS medications.
Single-pill combinations promote adherence, decrease the risk of resistance=
,
and facilitate stock and procurement management, and are widely recognized
as a core element in efforts to scale up ARV treatment in developing
countries. FDCs are strongly preferred over blister packs and other
multi-pill regimens. In addition to ease of use and other advantages, FDCs,
which are taken in the form of one pill twice a day, are also by far the
least expensive option: today, triple FDCs from generic manufacturers are
available for as little as $140 per person per year. The same combination
from brand-name companies costs a minimum of $562 per person per year and
must be taken in the form of six pills a day. Forcing people with HIV/AIDS
to accept higher pill burdens, wasting limited taxpayer resources on brand
name products, and, most importantly, using scarce resources to treat one
person when the same amount of money could treat four is unacceptable.

If the ambitious goals of the President=B9s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
(PEPFAR), and the WHO=B9s =B33 by 5=B2 initiative are to be met, triple
combination FDCs pre-qualified by WHO must be made widely available. FDCs
are recommended in WHO treatment guidelines, and several generic FDCs have
been certified by WHO as meeting stringent international standards for drug
quality, safety and efficacy through its Prequalification Project. The WHO=
=B9s
standards for prequalification are supported by UNICEF, the World Bank, the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS. TB, and Malaria, Columbia University=B9s MTCT-Pl=
us
program, many national governments in developing countries, international
humanitarian organizations such as M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res (MSF), and =
other
programs with experience treating people living with HIV. Clinicians in
resource poor settings are already using triple combination generics with
tens of thousands of patients, with efficacy and adherence rates
equal-to-or-better than treatment success and adherence rates in the United
States.
Rather than disregarding the drug procurement policies of developing nation=
s
to creating expensive new barriers that benefit US drug companies, your
office should accept the WHO=B9s internationally recognized drug quality
standards and promote access to affordable medications. We object to any an=
d
all efforts by the Bush Administration and your office to block the use of
WHO prequalified generic medications, and any efforts to discredit the
standards of WHO=B9s prequalification project that would impose new barrier=
s
to generics entering the global market.

Signed,
[list still in formation until COB Friday 26 March]

International Organizations
ACORD, UK
Act Up-Paris, France
Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), UK
Advancement of Rural People And Nature (ARPAN), India
Agua Buena Human Rights Association, Costa Rica
AIDS ACCESS Foundation, Thailand
AIDS Access Foundation, Thailand
AIDS Law Unit, Legal Assistance Centre, Namibia
AIDS Task Force (HIV/AIDS Division of Africa Japan Forum), Japan
AIDSETI - AIDS empowerment & Treatment International, Int=B9l =AD USA/DC
Aln=E6missamt=F6kin =E1 =CDslandi, The AIDS Organization of Iceland, Icelan=
d
AMAS/AFAS, Mali
Artists for a New South Africa, Int=B9l/USA-CA
Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Malaysia
Asociaci=F3n Atlacatl Vivo Positivo, El Salvador
Asociaci=F3n Costarricense De Personas Viviendo Con VIH/SIDA, Costa Rica
Associa=E7=E3o Brasileira Interdisciplinar de AIDS (ABIA), Brazil
Associa=E7=E3o de apoio a pessoas com VIH/SIDA (ABRA=C7O), Portugal
Association K=E9n=E9dougou Solidarit=E9, Mali
Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Int=B9l/Australia
Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad
(international humanitarian agency of the Australian Council of Trade
Unions), Australia
Australian Red Cross, (Lao PDR Office), Australia
AVERT - Averting HIV and AIDS Worldwide, UK
BolivaGAY.com, Bolivia
Campagne pour les Droits de l'Homme au Congo (CDHC) , Congo
Campaign for Improved Access to Treatment for AIDS in resource poor
countries (ImpAcTAIDS), Scotland
Canadian African Partnership on AIDS (CAP-AIDS), Canada
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Canada
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada
CARE Raks Thai Foundation, Thailand
Center for Information and Advisory Services in Health, Nicaragua
Centers of Excellence- Substance Abuse & HIV/AIDS, India
Centre for International Health (CIH) of the Macfarlane Burnet institute fo=
r
Medical Research and Public Health, Australia
Centro Regional de Farmacovigilancia, Argentina
ChildrenFIRST, South Africa
Christian Medical Association of India
CICOP Argentina
Citizen=B9s Health Initiative, Malaysia
Committee of Arab and African Families United to Survive AIDS, France
Community Health Cell, India
Consultants for Health and Development, The Netherlands
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, National University of La
Plata, Argentina
Difaem - German Institute for Medical Mission. Germany
Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Health, University of
Newcastle, Australia
Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network, Kenya
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Egypt
Farmacia Siglo XXI Foundation, Spain
Foundation For Social Concerns Inc., West Indies
Foundation for Studies and Research on Women (FEIM), Argentina
Freedom Foundation-India
Fundaci=F3n CIPRESS (Centro de Investigaci=F3n y Promoci=F3n de la Salud y =
la
Sexualidad), Chile
Fundaci=F3n para el Desarrollo Humano y Social de la Regi=F3n del Pueblo Ma=
m
(FUNDAMAM), Guatemala
Fundacion Schorer, The Netherlands
G=E9nesis Panama+
Ghana AIDS Treatment Access Group (GATAG), Ghana
Gram Bharati Samiti, India
Grupo Argentino Uso Racional de Medicamentos (GAPURMED), Argentina
Grupo de apoyo de personas viviendo con VIH-SIDA (FUNDASIDA), El Salvador
Grupo Portugu=EAs de Activistas sobre Tratamentos de VIH/SIDA (GAT), Portug=
al
Health Alliance International, Int=B9l =AD USA/WA
Health Issues Centre, Australia
HIV i-Base, UK
Human Genome Analysis, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK
Interact Worldwide, Int=B9l =AD UK
International Cooperation Area, Foundation Institut Catala de Farmacologia,
Spain
Ipas Mexico A.C., Mexico
Jana Arogya Andolana (PHM - Karnataka), India
Kenya Treatment Access Movement, Kenya
KwaZulu Natal Intersect Coalition, South Africa
l'Association des Femmes Avocates au Congo ( AFEAC), Congo
LOCOST (Low Cost Standard Therapeutics), India
Massive Effort Campaign, Switzerland
McGill International Health Initiative, Canada
Myanmar Buddhist Association of South Africa (MBASA), South Africa
National Association of People Living With HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), Australia
Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Nigeria
Network of Sex Work Projects, Int=B9l - Brazil
Organization for Social Development of Unemployed
People Living With HIV/AIDS New South Wales, Australia
People's Health Movement Global Secretariat, India
Point of View, India
Positive Life Association of Nigeria (PLAN), Nigeria
Positive Living, Malaysia
Positive Movement, Belarus
Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY Philippines)
Public Personalities Against Aids Trust, Zimbabwe
Red Hispana de Derechos Humanos en vih - sida y minor=EDas sexuales, Columb=
ia
REDBOL, Bolivia
REDVIHDA, Bolivia
Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) initiative of VSO,
Zimbabwe
Regional Committee for the Promotion of Community Health, Nicaragua
Reproductive Health Matters, UK
R=E9seau du Burundi des PVVIH (RBP+), Burundi
RESULTS, Canada
SAPES Trust, Zimbabwe
SIDACTION - Ensemble Contre le SIDA
Social Welfare Association for Men (SWAM), India
Solidarit=E9 Sida, France
Spiritia Foundation (Indonesian Peer Support Network for PLHAs), Indonesia
Targeted AIDS Interventions, South Africa
Thandanani Childrens Foundation, South Africa
TREE, Training & Resources in Early Education, South Africa
Tuyakula Group, Namibia
Wemos Foundation, Netherlands
Wits Pediatric HIV Working Group, South Africa
Women on Waves, The Netherlands
Women's Dignity Project, Tanzania
WTO Watch Qld, Australia
Youth (OSDUY), Bangladesh

International organizations, multi-country
European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), Int=B9l
Health Action International, Int=B9l
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), Int=B9l
International Peoples Health Council, Int=B9l
International Planned Parenthood Federation, Western Hemisphere Region,
Int=B9l
INTERSECT Worldwide, Int=B9l
Partners In Health, Int=B9l
The River Fund, Int=B9l
Third World Network, Int=B9l - Malaysia
WE-ACT - Women's Equity in Access to Care & Treatment, Int=B9l

Nationwide US Organizations
50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic Justice, USA
ActionAid International USA
Adrian Dominican Sisters, USA
Africa Action, USA
Africa Faith and Justice Network, USA
AIDS Treatment Data Network, USA
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), USA
American Foundation for AIDS Research, USA
American Jewish World Service, USA
American Medical Students Association, USA
Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), USA
CHAMP, USA
Corporate Responsibility Program, Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin
Order, USA
Episcopal Church USA
Essential Action, USA
Global AIDS Alliance, USA
Health GAP (Global Access Project), USA
Health Professional Student AIDS Advocacy Network, USA
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA
Keep A Child Alive, USA
Maryknoll AIDS Task Force, USA
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, USA
Medical Mission Sisters' Alliance for Justice, USA
Missionary Oblates, Justice/Peace & Integrity of Creation, USA
National Association for Victims of Transfusion-Acquired AIDS (NAVTA), USA
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, USA
National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), USA
Operation USA
Our Bodies Ourselves, USA
Physicians for Human Rights, USA
POZ Magazine, USA
Project INFORM, USA
Share International USA
South Africa Development Fund, USA
Student Global AIDS Campaign, USA
TII CANN - Title II Community AIDS National Network, USA
Treatment Action Group, USA
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, USA
Washington Office on Africa, USA
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, United States Section

US Local and Regional Organizations:
ACT UP East Bay, CA
ActionAIDS Philadelphia, PA
Africa Bridge, OR
African Services Committee, NY
AIDS Action Baltimore, MD
AIDS Foundation of Chicago, IL
AIDS Policy Project, PA
Citizens for Consumer Justice, PA
Drexel University (Public Health Interest Group) PHIG, PA
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), NY
God=B9s Love We Deliver, NY
HIV Law Project, Inc, NY
Housing Works, NY
International AIDS Empowerment, TX
Liberty Research Group, NY
Migration & Refugee Services, Diocese of Trenton, NJ
NCATA (NW Coalition for AIDS Treatment in Africa), WA
New Mexico POZ Coalition, NM
New York AIDS Coalition, NY
Office for Religious Diocese of Scranton, PA
PA Civil Rights Initiative, PA
Pediatric HIV/AIDS program at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force (PLGTF), PA
Philadelphia International Action Center, PA
Planet Poz, NM
Positive Health Clinic, PA
Prevention Point Philadelphia, PA
Queers For Racial & Economic Justice, NY
RESULTS Seattle, WA
Rochester Global AIDS Project, NY
Sisters Mobilized for AIDS Research and Treatment  (SMART University), NY
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province, MO
Survive AIDS, CA
Village Care of New York AIDS Day Treatment Program, NY
Washington Biotechnology Action Council, WA
Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO),NY
Yale AIDS Network, CT