[Ip-health] Pharmalot: US Trade Policy Favors IP Over Health: GAO

[Sarah Rimmington]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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  US Trade Policy Favors IP Over Health: GAO
October 30th, 2007 4:57 pm By Ed Silverman
http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/10/us-trade-policy-favors-ip-over-health-gao/

That=92s one of the take-away messages contained in a 68-page report that
reviews the Bush administration=92s approach to trade agreements and
intellectual property protection, specifically as it pertains to
pharmaceuticals. The report, of course, looks at the White House track
record since 2001, when a new intellectual property agreement was
reached under World Trade Organization auspices and used measured
language to assess the White House track record.

And the findings weren=92t all negative. For instance, the GAO determined
that the US Trade Rep took a measured approach toward Thailand, which
caused a ruckus for issuing compulsory licenses for several drugs.
Several key observations, however, took the Bush administration to task
for the way trade protections were balanced against public health concerns=
=85

1 - The US Trade Rep has demanded that US trading partners adopt more
extensive intellectual property protections than required under the 2001
agreement, and that the provisions conflict with the notion that the
agreement be implemented in way that also serves public health;

2 - The US sought to limit the application of the agreement to
situations involving HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other =93epidemics,=94 rathe=
r
than permitting countries to assess their own public health priorities;

3 - US health agencies aren=92t asked to provide input to the US Trade Rep
a bout the health impact of US trade policies. Interviews with USTR
officials found =93little evidence that USTR consulted with Health and
Human Services or the HHS Office of Global Health Affairs about the
potential impact of public health of specific pharmaceutical initiatives
in Free Trade Agreements;

4 - The US Trade Rep receives input on specific sectors and issues from
14 trade advisory committees. Most of the committees have no public
health reps. For instance, the committees on intellectual property and
chemicals each have just one member appointed to represent public health
interests, while the intellectual property committee has five reps from
pharma, and the chemicals committee has 10.

And so Henry Waxman, the Congressional Democrat from California, and Ted
Kennedy, the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, who requested the
GAO report, lambased the White House. =93The Bush Administration must stop
putting the financial interest of the pharmaceutical industry ahead of
the needs of the poor and sick in developing countries,=94 Kennedy say in
a statement.

The Bush Administration =93entered into a series of free trade
negotiations with developing countries demanding provisions that
threaten the ability of our trade partners to take necessary public
health measures,=94 says Waxman. =93These provisions, found in CAFTA and
other FTAs already in effect, could significantly delay the availability
of lower-cost generic medicines.=94

--
Sarah Rimmington
Attorney
Essential Action, Access to Medicines Project
Washington, DC
Tel: (202) 387-8030
Cell: (202) 422-2687
www.essentialaction.org/access/

--
Delivered-To: srimmington@ESSENTIALINFORMATION.ORG
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Thread-Topic: Final Press Release for Tonight's Demonstration @ Dem Debate =
in
    Philly
Thread-Index: AcgbNT/wfmYsQIcoEdy46wAbYx/cYA=3D=3D
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:41:30 -0400
Reply-To: Healthgap List <HEALTHGAP@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG>
Sender: Healthgap List <HEALTHGAP@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG>
From: Kaytee Riek <kaytee.riek@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: [HEALTHGAP] Final Press Release for Tonight's Demonstration @ Dem =
Debate in Philly
Comments: To: FAPP <FED_AIDS_POL@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG>,
    aualert@CritPath.Org, "08.STOP-AIDS"
    <08-STOP-AIDS@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG>
To: HEALTHGAP@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG
Precedence: list

=3D=3D> Great news! In response to pressure from ACT UP Philly and allies, =
as
well as the work of Health GAP, Global AIDS Alliance Fund, AIDS Vote, and
hundreds of birddoggers across the country, Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama hav=
e
each signed a pledge to commit $50 bn over 5 years for global AIDS.

Below is pasted the press release for the march tonight in Philly. We will
continue to target Sen. Clinton because she does not have a detailed
domestic AIDS plan, but we have broadened our messaging to all candidates t=
o
pressure each of them to support guaranteed healthcare for all.

Kaytee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 30th, 2007

Contact: Jose Demarco- 215-756-4756
and Waheedah Shabazz-El 267-983-8036

At the Democratic Debate in Philadelphia, AIDS and Healthcare Activists
declare =B3Dead People Don=B9t Vote!=B2, call for all candidates to release=
 plans
to end AIDS at home and abroad

Update Oct. 30th, 2007, 11am: Senator Barack Obama has signed the pledge to
commit $50 billion over 5 years to global AIDS funding, and has re-drafted
his AIDS plan to include the content of the pledge.

Update Oct. 26, 2007, 7:30pm: In response to pressure from activists,
Senator Hillary Clinton has signed a pledge to commit $50 billion over 5
years to global AIDS funding. Members of ACT UP Philadelphia and allies
continue to call for Clinton to release a comprehensive plan to fight AIDS
at home and abroad, and support for guaranteed healthcare for all.

March Details: October 30th, Begin at 34th and Chestnut, 7:30pm

PHILADELPHIA- Hundreds of protesters from Philadelphia, New York and other
areas participated in a Halloween-themed march outside today=B9s presidenti=
al
debate, calling on all candidates to support guaranteed healthcare for all,
$50 billion for global AIDS, and funding for accurate HIV prevention.  They
also called for renewed action to address the disproportionate impact of
HIV/AIDS in communities of color. The march was sponsored by ACT UP
Philadelphia.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner in the race for the
Democratic Presidential nomination, has not released a comprehensive
strategy for combating AIDS domestically and globally. On Friday evening, i=
n
response to activists=B9 call for a plan to fight AIDS, Clinton signed a
pledge to commit $50 billion by 2013 to fight global AIDS. While activists
praised her commitment to global AIDS, they remain unsatisfied by her lack
of commitments to domestic AIDS funding and programs. =B3Senator Clinton
continues to lack any detailed plan to address the AIDS crisis in the US,
which is disproportionately affecting communities of color. She is relying
on support from African-Americans and women, but she should not be taking
our vote for granted. When will she start talking about issues we care
about, like guaranteed healthcare and an end to racial disparities in HIV,=
=B2
said Waheedah Shabazz-El, an African-American woman and openly HIV-positive
member of ACT UP Philadelphia. =B3We need to see a plan from Clinton that l=
ays
out exactly what she=B9s going to do to address the HIV/AIDS crisis at home=
.=B2

Senator John Edwards has laid out a detailed plan to fight AIDS at home and
abroad, winning praise from health experts. Governor Bill Richardson has
signed a pledge committing to $50 billion over 5 years for global AIDS, and
he has responded to a questionnaire from AIDSVote.org. Senator Barack Obama
recently published a comprehensive AIDS policy, and has also signed the
pledge to commit $50 billion over 5 years to global AIDS. Senator Biden
wrote a letter in response to the questionnaire from AIDSVote.org.

=B3Only two candidates have put forward a comprehensive plan to fight AIDS =
in
the US,=B2 said ACT UP member Hannah Zellman. =B3We are calling on Senators
Clinton, Biden, Dodd and Governor Richardson to use their time in
Philadelphia, a city hard-hit by the AIDS epidemic, to detail their plans t=
o
fight AIDS at home.=B2

In addition to a plan to fight AIDS, the activists called for guaranteed
healthcare for all that does not rely on insurance companies. =B3All of the
Democrats have plans to guarantee health insurance to everyone. But health
insurance companies are motivated first and foremost by profits, and they
will never put people=B9s health and lives first. We need all the candidate=
s
to support plans for guaranteed healthcare for all,=B2 said ACT UP member J=
ose
Demarco.
The diverse crowd of 600 demonstrators included people living with HIV,
people from AIDS-affected communities, people of faith, students and
concerned community. Marchers donned zombie and skeleton costumes to
represent the people who will not be able to vote for the candidate of thei=
r
choice if he or she does not support their demands and call attention to th=
e
mounting AIDS death toll: 3 million people worldwide died from AIDS in 2006=
.

The activists laid out four main demands:

1. Guaranteed healthcare for all- according to the demonstrators, no
candidate has a plan to fight AIDS that makes healthcare entirely affordabl=
e
and accessible. =B3Unnecessary co-pays will continue to limit peoples=B9 ab=
ility
to access care. Currently, half of all HIV+ people in the US do not have
consistent, reliable access to care and treatment. Unless we eliminate
co-pays and guarantee care for everyone, we will never address this
disparity,=B2 said ACT UP member Jose Demarco.

2. $50 billion over 5 years to fight global AIDS- there are approximately 4=
0
million people living with HIV. Despite dramatic declines in the cost of
medicine in the past decade, most people in the developing world still lack
access to life-saving treatment and basic prevention reaches a fraction of
those in need. The demonstrators called for the US to increase funding for
the US global AIDS initiative to $50 billion over 5 years, and commit to
treating 1/3 of those in clinical need. =B3With medication costing less tha=
n
$100 per patient per year, there is no reason the US should be unable to
keep up its leadership in this area,=B2 continued Demarco.

3. Accurate HIV prevention- demonstrators argue that
abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education funding, which has been
championed under the Bush administration, is ineffective and unproven. They
also cite President Clinton=B9s health secretary, Donna Shalala, who releas=
ed
a report in 1998 that showed funding for syringe-exchange programs does not
increase drug use but lowers HIV incidence. =B3When will we get a president
who will commit to honest, evidence-based HIV prevention funding at home an=
d
abroad?,=B2 asked Demarco.

4. Address health disparities in communities of color- People of color
represent 25% of the population, but make up 70% of new HIV infections.
Deaths among whites have decreased 19% from 2000 to 2004, while deaths amon=
g
African-Americans have only gone down 7%.  86% of the babies born with HIV
were African-American or Latino.  =B3We need to create a national plan that
addresses these racial disparities,=B2 added Demarco.

ACT UP Philadelphia is an activist organization led by and for people livin=
g
with AIDS. Since 1988, ACT UP has been a preeminent grassroots activist
group, calling for funding for effective prevention, treatment, and care
services for people living with and at risk for HIV. Next year, ACT UP
Philadelphia will commemorate 20 years of campaigns and successes in the
fight to end AIDS in the US and around the world.

Additional information and details about demands, including copies of signe=
d
global AIDS pledges from candidates, is available at
www.08stopaids.org/?q=3Doct30

###
--
Kaytee Riek
Grassroots Organizer
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
and Iowans for AIDS Action
phone: 267-334-6984 or 515-779-8094
kaytee@healthgap.org
www.healthgap.org

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