[Ip-health] [Fwd: FT article on IDPF]
Michelle Childs
michelle.childs@cptech.org
Thu Sep 21 06:16:31 2006
--
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9982e402-46b1-11db-ac52-0000779e2340.html
Supporting community action on AIDS in developing countries
UK attacked over size of cash offer to fight Aids and TB
By Andrew Jack in London
Published: September 18 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 18 2006 03:00
Britain will tomorrow pledge EUR20m in 2007 towards a French-initiated
international partnership to drive down prices and boost access to the
drugs required to treat the developing world's most lethal diseases.
In a speech at the United Nations, Gareth Thomas, the international
development minister, will make a 20-year commitment from the UKto
Unitaid, an international drug purchase facility to tackle Aids, TB and
malaria, with annual contributionsrising to EUR60m (=A340.4m) a year by 201=
0
subject to satisfactory performance. He will also support efforts to
encourage developing countries to use all their rights under international
trade agreements to challenge pharmaceutical company patents and seek
cheaper production of essential medicines from generic manufacturers. The
political commitment and the size of the UK financial contribution, at
just one tenth of the annual EUR200m to be offered by the French through a
levy raised on airline tickets, is also below Norway's pledge and a little
above that from Unitaid's initial developing world partners, Brazil and
Chile.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is likely to trigger criticism from non-governmental organisations,
which argue that the UK is lagging behind Unitaid's other partners by not
pledging support through airline levies or other "additional" sources
below those already earmarked for existing overseas development aid .
Steve Cockburn, co-ordinator of the Stop Aids campaign, said: "The UK
gov-ernment's failure to back [Unitaid] with new money from our current
air passenger duty undermines this initiative as it is launched."
In an interview with the FT, Mr Thomas called such criticism "a bit
unfair" and stressed that the UK was still committed to range of
"innovative financial mechanisms" to tackle diseases of the developing
world.
He said the UK remained committed to Advance Market Commitments designed
to offer guaranteed purchases to companies successfully developing new
vaccines and medicines for the developing world.
Much of the initial Unitaid money will go to supporting "second line"
antiretroviral drugs to treat patients resistant to first-line therapies.
Copyright <http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright> The Financial
Times Limited 2006
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Michelle Childs -Head of European Affairs
Consumer Project on Technology in London
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[ Converted text/html to text/plain ]
Please find the FT article link and full article below:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9982e402-46b1-11db-ac52-0000779e2340.html
Regards
Anton
Anton Kerr
Senior Policy Advisor - Civil Society Development
International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Queensberry House
104-106 Queens Road
Brighton
BN1 3XF
Direct Tel: +44 1273 71 8715
General Tel: +44 1273 718900
Fax: +44 1273 718901
Email: akerr@aidsalliance.org
www.aidsalliance.org[1]
www.aidsmap.com[2]
Supporting community action on AIDS in developing countries
UK attacked over size of cash offer to fight Aids and TB
By Andrew Jack in London
Published: September 18 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 18 2006 03:00
Britain will tomorrow pledge 20m in 2007 towards a French-initiated
international partnership to drive down prices and boost access to the drug=
s
required to treat the developing world's most lethal diseases.
In a speech at the United Nations, Gareth Thomas, the international
development minister, will make a 20-year commitment from the UKto Unitaid,=
an
international drug purchase facility to tackle Aids, TB and malaria, with
annual contributionsrising to 60m (=A340.4m) a year by 2010 subject to
satisfactory performance. He will also support efforts to encourage develop=
ing
countries to use all their rights under international trade agreements to
challenge pharmaceutical company patents and seek cheaper production of
essential medicines from generic manufacturers. The political commitment an=
d
the size of the UK financial contribution, at just one tenth of the annual
200m to be offered by the French through a levy raised on airline tickets, =
is
also below Norway's pledge and a little above that from Unitaid's initial
developing world partners, Brazil and Chile.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is likely to trigger criticism from non-governmental organisations, whic=
h
argue that the UK is lagging behind Unitaid's other partners by not pledgin=
g
support through airline levies or other "additional" sources below those
already earmarked for existing overseas development aid .
Steve Cockburn, co-ordinator of the Stop Aids campaign, said: "The UK
gov-ernment's failure to back [Unitaid] with new money from our current air
passenger duty undermines this initiative as it is launched."
In an interview with the FT, Mr Thomas called such criticism "a bit unfair"
and stressed that the UK was still committed to range of "innovative financ=
ial
mechanisms" to tackle diseases of the developing world.
He said the UK remained committed to Advance Market Commitments designed to
offer guaranteed purchases to companies successfully developing new vaccine=
s
and medicines for the developing world.
Much of the initial Unitaid money will go to supporting "second line"
antiretroviral drugs to treat patients resistant to first-line therapies.
Copyright[3] The Financial Times Limited 2006
________________________________________________________________________
This message (and any associated files) is intended only for the use of the
individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information t=
hat
is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright. If you are not
the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copy=
ing
or distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is
strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please not=
ify
us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your compute=
r.
Messages sent to and from us may be monitored.
Internet communications cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as
information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late o=
r
incomplete, or contain viruses. Therefore, we do not accept responsibility =
for
any errors or omissions that are present in this message, or any attachment=
,
that have arisen as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is
required, please request a hard-copy version. Any views or opinions present=
ed
are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IH=
AA.
=3D=3D=3DReferences:=3D=3D=3D
1. http://www.aidsalliance.org/
2. http://www.aidsmap.com/
3. http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/copyright
--