[Ip-health] AFP: Cheap AIDS drugs to take spotlight at Bangkok conference

[Mike Palmedo]

Cheap AIDS drugs to take spotlight at Bangkok conference

Agence France Presse - May 26, 2004


BANGKOK, May 26 (AFP) - The fight between drug firms and producers of cheap
generic treatments for HIV-AIDS is expected to be a focus at a global forum
on the killer virus to be held in Thailand in July, organisers said
Wednesday.

The six-day International AIDS Conference (IAC) will examine Thailand's
ground-breaking generic anti-retroviral (ARV) program, along with the threat
posed to it by a looming free-trade agreement with the United States, they
said.

"There will be a lot of discussion on the need for cheaper drugs and the
need to protect intellectual property rights," IAC co-chair Joep Lange told
reporters Wednesday.

"If you really want to treat millions of people in resource-poor countries
then there is going to be no other solution than having branded companies
and generic companies working together to meet demand," he said.

The Thai government has repeatedly come under fire from US drug giants over
its ARV program, which distributes cheap generic drugs to Thais living with
the virus and to some neighbouring countries.

Last December, the Thai health ministry announced plans to provide ARV
medicines to 50,000 patients with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, citing
the increased production of the relatively cheap, locally-made treatments.

IAC community program co-chair Donald de Gagne said Wednesday that rising
production could grind to a halt if the kingdom signed a trade deal with
Washington.

"Thailand produces enough to look after the people that are needing the
treatment right now and is treating the people from Burma
(Myanmar) and Laos," said de Gagne.

"They want to scale that up and also export to other neighbouring countries
and Africa, but under the US agreement that would not be possible, affecting
tens of thousands of people," he said.

Negotiations to frame a free-trade pact between Thailand and the US are
expected to be completed in 2005.

The 15-million-dollar conference, themed "Access for All", will bring
together up to 20,000 delegates including world leaders, scientists,
activists and people living with HIV-AIDS.

The Bangkok meeting is being organised by the United Nations and several
non-government organisations, led by the International AIDS Society and the
Thai health ministry.

Schools in Bangkok and neighbouring Nonthaburi province will be closed for
the July 11-16 meeting and the government will mark the event by handing out
three million free condoms.