[Ip-health] Thais offer help

[Kannikar KIJTIWATCHAKUL]

The Nation, Wed, June 20, 2007

Thais offer help

The Thai Network of People living with HIV/Aids (TNP+)
and its allies vowed yesterday to stand in solidarity
with a Paris-based Aids activist group in its legal
fight with giant drug firm Abbott Laboratories.


TNP+ said it was ready to be a witness for Act
Up-Paris, which was taken to court by Abbott for its
April 26 cyber attack on the company website as part
of a worldwide protest against the drug firm.


Act Up-Paris was among the Aids activist groups in
more than 12 countries that joined the International
Day of Action on April 26 to protest against Abbott
for its withdrawal of applications to register new
life-saving drugs in Thailand.


The withdrawn drugs included a new heat stable
formulation of Kaletra, an anti-retroviral drug used
for Aids.

................

(full Statement of TNP+)

ACT- UP, a long time AIDS activist group based in
Paris, is being sued by US pharmaceutical giant,
Abbott, for action taken whilst participating in the
International Day of Action against Abbott on April
26th 2007.

Thousands of people around the world participated in
an ACT UP lead =93netstrike=94 that saw Abbott=92s website
bombarded with hits and forced a slowing of its
server. Abbott is now taking legal action in what they
ironically deem a =93denial of service=94. If successful,
ACT UP could be fined more than $50,000 in addition to
legal expenses. This is being seen by ACT UP as a
clear attempt by Abbott to silence them and deny them
the right of free speech.

French law stipulates that it is forbidden to limit
access to a website, unless the defendant had a
=93legitimate motive=94. Holding companies accountable for
unethical conduct and highlighting the denial of
essential medicines in the name of greed and profit
can surely be interpreted as a legitimate and
honourable motive. The Thai network of people living
with HIV/AIDS (TNP+) and their Thai alliance stand in
solidarity with ACT UP and  welcome the opportunity to
debate Abbott=92s shameful policies in a court of law.

On April 26th, France was one of more than 12
countries that joined in the International Day of
Action in protest of Abbott=92s withdraw from
registration in Thailand of life saving drugs
including a new heat stable formulation of Kaletra, an
anti retroviral drug used in the treatment of
HIV/AIDS. Activists from Thailand and around the world
called for a global boycott of Abbott products in
response to their unprecedented and unethical conduct.
Thai activists and PLHA also called on the Thai trade
competition commission to instigate legal action
against Abbott in breach of competition law 25(3) that
prohibits a dominant firm from =93suspending, reducing
or restricting services, production, purchase,
distribution, deliveries, or importation without
justifiable reasons=94.

Abbott=92s withdrawal was in retaliation to the Thai
government=92s announcement that it would issue 2
compulsory licenses for ARV, including the Abbott
produced Kaletra and one for a heart medication. These
compulsory licenses issued by the Ministry of Public
Health was an attempt to expand treatment access to
vital yet expensive drugs and was in total accordance
with WTO rules and regulations.

TNP+ and an alliance of civil society groups and
HIV/AIDS activists fully supports ACT UP Paris=92
actions and believes that the right to protest is
fundamental. Demonstrated dissent on the International
day of action was necessary to highlight Abbott=92s
complete lack of moral code and their precedence for
profit over lives and to send a message to Abbott that
these kinds of intimidation tactics will not be
tolerated.

TNP+ in united with ACT UP in demanding that this
petty lawsuit be dropped and that Abbott reverse their
decision to withdraw life saving medicines from
registration in Thailand.







Kannikar KIJTIWATCHAKUL (Kar)
Mobile 66-85-0708954
kakablue@yahoo.com



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