[Ip-health] UN INDEPENDENT EXPERT LAUNCHES DRAFT HUMAN RIGHTS GUIDELINES FOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/newsFrameset-2.htm

UN INDEPENDENT EXPERT LAUNCHES DRAFT HUMAN RIGHTS GUIDELINES FOR
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES

  19 September 2007

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul
Hunt, today launched for public consultation a draft Human Rights
Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to
Medicines.

"Almost 2 billion people lack access to essential medicines," the
Special Rapporteur said. "Improving access to existing medicines could
save 10 million lives each year. Access to medicines is characterised
by profound global inequity as 15% of the world's population consumes
over 90% of the world's pharmaceuticals", the Special Rapporteur
explained.

Access to medicines is a central feature of the right to the highest
attainable standard of health. States have primary responsibility for
enhancing access to medicines, as set out in the expert's report to the
UN General Assembly last year (13 September 2006, A/61/338). The
Special Rapporteur routinely questions Governments about their national
medicines policies and implementation plans.

"Pharmaceutical companies have a profound impact - both positive and
negative - on Governments' ability to realise the right to the highest
attainable standard of health. It is time to identify what
pharmaceutical companies should do to help realize the human right to
medicine. How can we expect pharmaceutical companies to respect human
rights if we fail to explain what they are expected to do?" he added.

Consisting of some 50 provisions, the draft Guidelines were launched
today at the University of Toronto, Canada. They are available for
comment until 31 December 2007.

"The draft Guidelines are designed to help pharmaceutical companies, as
well as those monitoring their activities. I look forward to finalising
the Guidelines in 2008", Professor Hunt concluded.

The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the then
United Nations Commission on Human Rights to help States, and others,
promote and protect the right to the highest attainable standard of
health.

The draft Guidelines, and other initiatives of the Special Rapporteur,
can be found at www2.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/rth/

For further information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and
copies of his reports, please go to
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/health/right/index.htm
__________

For use of the information media; not an official record

---------------------------------
Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
voice +41.22.791.6727
fax +41.22.723.2988
mobile +41 76 508 0997
thiru@keionline.org