[Ip-health] Democratic Candidates Compassion Forum on trade and access to medicines

[Rohit Malpani]

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Democratic Candidates Compassion Forum

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

Aired April 13, 2008 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND
MAY BE UPDATED.

<snip>



CLINTON: He is. Hello, Reverend Shaw. Good to see you again.

REV. WILLIAM J. SHAW, NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION: Senator. Current U.S.
policies toward developing countries -- trade policies, make it
sometimes extremely difficult for poor people to access inexpensive,
generic drugs for the treatment of AIDS and other sicknesses.

How would you shape the policies of your administration to ensure that
the poor would have access to and could secure the drugs that they need
to improve the quality of their lives, of their families and even the
future of their country?

CLINTON: Well, Reverend Shaw, I agree with your description of this
problem, and I believe that our government must do so much more to get
generic drugs and low-cost drugs to people suffering.

Not only from HIV/AIDS, but the range of diseases that affect
disproportionately the poor. It's one of the reasons why I voted against
the free trade agreement with Central America, because there was a
provision that would give even more power to our pharmaceutical
companies to prevent exactly doing what you are discussing.

I have been an outspoken advocate in urging that both our great
pharmaceutical companies -- which do a lot of good. Because, after all,
they invent the compounds and put them together that the generics then
are able to copy.

But we need to do much more to get our pharmaceutical companies to work
with us to get the drug costs down and to open the pathway for generic
drugs. And that's going to take presidential leadership.

I commend President Bush for his PEPFAR initiative. It was a very bold
and important commitment, but it didn't go far enough in opening up the
door to generics and getting the costs down.

And as president, I will do that.