[Ip-health] Vasella questioned at the General Meeting in Basel about Novartislegal action against India

[Alexandra HEUMBER]

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Press Release from the Berne Declaration=0D
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Lausanne, Zurich, 6 March 2007=0D
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Vasella questioned at the General Meeting in Basel about Novartis legal=0D
action against India=0D
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At Novartis General Meeting today, the Berne Declaration will urge Dr.=0D
Vasella, to drop Novartis legal action against India, which threathens=0D
access to affordable generic medicines for millions of poor people in=0D
developing countries. The Berne Declaration with Oxfam will urge attending=
=0D
shareholders to make the same request to the company. Moreover investors=0D
are starting to question Novartis policy on the issue.=0D
=0D
Concerns about Novartis legal action in India is being raised by investors=
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too.=0D
Dan Rosan from the US-based Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility=
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(ICCR), an association of 275 faith- based institutional investors,=0D
states: =C2=B3Novartis has substantially invested in neglected disease=0D
research, policy development, and stakeholder engagement, differentiating=
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itself from the rest of the pharmaceutical industry. Now, their actions in=
=0D
this case are undermining that record =C5=A0 Novartis=C2=B9 legal tactics i=
n this=0D
case have raised the stakes higher than the several thousand Indian=0D
patients relying on Glivec, to involve the millions of people kept alive=0D
today by generic AIDS drugs from India.=C2=B2=0D
=0D
=C2=B3Novartis are threatening their own future profits as well as access t=
o=0D
medicines =C2=AD putting at risk their reputation in key emerging markets a=
nd=0D
undermining public acceptance of the intellectual property regime on which=
=0D
pharmaceutical profits depend.=C2=B2 says Alex van der Velden from=0D
FairPensions, the British campaign for responsible investment.=0D
=0D
Julien Reinhard from the Berne Declaration will intervene at today=0D
Novartis Annual General Meeting, to raise the issue directly to Dr.=0D
Vasella. The Berne Declaration with Oxfam will distribute material to=0D
attending shareholders urging them to do what is in their power in order=0D
that Novartis drops its legal action against India.=0D
=0D
Julien Reinhard, Berne Declaration: "The Novartis case in India goes=0D
beyond the case of anticancer medicine Glivec=C2=AE because its directly=0D
challenge an internationally recognized public health safeguard. This has=
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far beyond India alone. The concerns expressed all over the world by NGOs,=
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individuals and personalities like former President of the Swiss=0D
Confederation Ruth Dreifuss or South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu,=0D
deserve to be taken seriously by the company. It is time for Novartis to=0D
show corporate responsibility by droping its case in India."=0D
=0D
Celine Charveriat, Oxfam International: =C2=B3It is difficult to see how a=
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company which prides itself on its philanthropy in the developing world=0D
can at the same time be engaged in a lawsuit which would undermine access=
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to affordable medicines. Novartis has apparently not learned the lessons=0D
from the 2001 South Africa case, when big Pharma sued the South African=0D
government for trying to uphold public health and was forced to back=0D
down.=C2=B2=0D
=0D
Contacts:=0D
Julien Reinhard, Berne Declaration=0D
+41(0)76 327 67 41 (mobile), +41(0)21 620 03 06 (office)=0D
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Background information:=0D
Following rejection of its patent application for the cancer drug Glivec,=
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Novartis filed suit against the Indian government to fight the patent=0D
rejection. At the same time, the company launched a second legal action=0D
against a key public health provision in the Indian law (section 3d). A=0D
Novartis victory in the Indian case would cut off access to affordable=0D
generic versions of many medicines, in India and abroad. India is a key=0D
exporter of low-cost, quality medicines to much of the developing world,=0D
in particular HIV/AIDS medicines.=0D
In October 2006 the Berne Declaration has sent a letter to Novartis=0D
requesting to drop its legal action. This letter is endorsed today by more=
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than 70 NGOs from Switzerland and the rest of the world as well as by=0D
several personalites like Ruth Dreifuss, former President of the Swiss=0D
Confederation and Jean Ziegler, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the=0D
right to food.=0D
=0D
More informations on:=0D
http://www.evb.ch/en/f25000047.html=0D
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###################################=0D
SIGN MSF'S 'DROP THE CASE' PETITION=0D
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Millions of people around the world today rely on affordable medicines=0D
produced in India.  Pharmaceutical company Novartis is taking the Indian=0D
government to court to force a change in the country's patent law.  If=0D
Novartis wins, a major source of affordable medicines for millions of=0D
people across the globe could dry up.=0D
=0D
MSF is urging Novartis to DROP THE CASE.=0D
=0D
Find out more and sign up to our petition:=0D
http://www.msf.org/petition_india/international.html=0D
####################################=0D
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=0D
Alexandra Heumber=0D
EU Advocacy Liaison Officer=0D
M=C3=A9decins Sans Fronti=C3=A8res=0D
Access to Essential Medicines Campaign=0D
Rue Dupr=C3=A9, 94. 1090 Brussels=0D
++32 (0) 2 474 75 09 (Dir off)=0D
++ 32 (0) 479 514 900 (Mob)=0D
++ 32 (0) 2 474 75 75 (Fax)=0D
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