[Ip-health] Elimination of Neglected Diseases Act of 2006

[Mike Palmedo]

Text of the legislation:
http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/109/s2699.pdf

Press Release (cut and pasted below)
http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=3D255024

--------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2006
Contact: Rob Sawicki
Phone: 202.224.4041

Lieberman Calls for Incentives for Research on Disease Treatment -
Senator joins colleague in introducing Neglected Diseases Act

WASHINGTON =96 U.S. Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Sam Brownback (R-KS)
today introduced the Elimination of Neglected Diseases Act of 2006,
which encourages pharmaceutical companies to invest in developing
treatments for neglected diseases.

=93We have the technology and brain power to bring about cures for these
damaging diseases, but what=92s lacking is a market incentive to tackle
them,=94 said Lieberman. =93This bill will help bring relief to thousands o=
f
people suffering from ancient diseases in a world with contemporary
medical capabilities.=94

=93In the developing world, millions of people suffer from curable
diseases that many of us think no longer exist,=94 said Senator Brownback.
=93The biggest challenge to finding cures for these diseases is the lack
of a market.=94

Neglected diseases include HIV, TB and malaria but also leprosy,
hookworm, and river blindness which themselves cause over 500,000 deaths
annually. A total of 13 such diseases afflict the poor in Africa, Asia,
and the Americas. Africa bears the brunt of them, as nearly 90 percent
of the world=92s neglected diseases afflict people in the continent.

Lieberman continued, =93The technology and brain power behind cures should
not be limited to the privileged and our bill aims to remove the
barriers that have too long prevented these cures from reaching the
nation=92s underprivileged. The financial benefit companies would receive
from the patent incentives in our bill can help offset the cost of
crucial R&D investments needed to combat these neglected diseases, which
can be as high as $1 billion dollars per drug.=94

Brownback continued, =93The lack of interest in finding treatments for
neglected diseases has led to only a few new drugs in the market.
Between 1975 and 1997, only 13 new drugs were developed for neglected
diseases. Because pharmaceuticals are expensive to develop, companies
have fewer incentives to pursuer therapies when the purchases are
primarily poor people. We can encourage pharmaceutical companies by
granting a patent extension for a lifestyle drug or a neglected disease
product if they make the investment to develop a treatment for a
neglected disease. A drug company can recoup costs incurred by
developing drugs for a neglected disease by securing these new patent
rights.=94

HIV, TB and malaria kill as many as 4, 2, and 1 million people a year,
respectively. Their victims often suffer from additional neglected
diseases, which add to their suffering and hasten death.

Lieberman, a leader in research and public health issues regarding
infectious diseases, introduced the Project BioShield II Act of 2005 to
address concerns about the many obstacles in the development of
bioterrorism antidotes by private companies, including tax, intellectual
property and liabilities risks that inhibit development. The BioShield
law passed last year and modeled on provisions in the earlier
Lieberman-Hatch legislation authorizes $5.6 billion over 10 years for
the government to procure drugs, biological products, and devices as
countermeasures against biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear
agents that could cause a public health threat.