[Ip-health] Request: Sign on letter from clinicians and researchers to Abbott CEO

[Asia Russell]

**apologies for duplicate postings**

Dear Colleagues,

In order to convey to Abbott CEO Miles White the outrage among health
care providers and researchers in response to his decision to
retaliate against Thai patients for the lawful compulsory licenses
issued by the Thai government, groups are circulating the
international sign-on letter below. This letter will be delivered
ahead of Abbott's Annual General Meeting for shareholders, in Abbott
Park, Illinois on April 27, 2007.

For the many people who are concerned about Abbott's unacceptable
actions, but who are not clinicians or researchers, please contact us
to find out more about what you can do to be part of this campaign.

To endorse, please send your name, location (city and country) and
affiliation (for identification purposes only) to Asia Russell at:
asia@healthgap.org or call +1 267 475 2645.  The current deadline for
sign on is end of day Thursday April 18. Please take a moment to
forward this timely request to contacts in your networks. Thanks in
advance.

Best,

Asia Russell

--
Asia Russell
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
email: asia@healthgap.org
tel: +1 267 475-2645
http://www.healthgap.org

-----------------------

To: Abbott CEO AND Chairman Miles White
From: Clinicians and researchers around the world


Miles White
Chairman and CEO
Abbott Laboratories
100 Abbott Park Road
Abbott Park, IL 60064

Dear Miles White,

We, the undersigned, are disappointed and outraged by Abbott=92s
decision to stop marketing new medicines in Thailand and to withdraw
all applications to register medicines in the country.

Abbott has decided to retreat from the Thai market in retaliation to
Thailand=92s lawful decision to issue compulsory licenses for three
medicines, including for two antiretrovirals: efavirenz and lopinavir
+ritonavir (Kaletra). These compulsory licenses will achieve
reductions in costs and will increase access to critically important
medicines in Thailand, something protracted negotiations between the
Thai government and Abbott unfortunately did not achieve.

Abbott=92s decision to deny medicines to Thai patients is an
inappropriate response to the lawful actions of a country addressing
its urgent public health needs in a manner that is completely
consistent with its international obligations according to the World
Trade Organization=92s Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and it is also consistent with
Thai national law.

Furthermore, you are clearly attempting to set a precedent and send a
message to other developing countries that they, too, will be
punished in this fashion should they decide to use their lawful right
to issue compulsory licenses to increase access to medicines. This is
unacceptable.

Importantly, your decision identifies you as an outlier among
pharmaceutical companies: at this point in time time we are aware of
no other pharmaceutical company that has ever responded as you have
in reaction to the issuance of compulsory licenses.

If Abbott believed that Thailand=92s actions were not consistent with
their TRIPS commitments then there are legal avenues by which to
contest this. However, by withdrawing registrations for essential
medicines from the Thai market, such as heat-stable lopinavir
+ritonavir--an essential antiretroviral adapted for hot climates and
particularly important for tropical countries like Thailand--Abbott
has chosen instead to hold Thai patients hostage.

As clinicians and researchers from around the world we find this
unacceptable and demand that you reverse your decision immediately.

Sincerely,

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