[Ip-health] IFPMA press release on Alicia Greenidge

[James Love]

Below is the official release from the IFPMA on Alicia Greenidge.  As I
noted yesterday, I think Alicia is a good choice for the IFPMA.

Compared to some other possibilities for a position like this, she is
not a hardliner or ideologue.  She is smart and tough, and humor, charm,
and warmth are among her many assets.

In terms of the global health agenda, she can play a particularly
important role if she can find ways to constructively engage on new
approaches to rewarding drug developers.

A concern is that Ms Greenidge has played an important role in opposing
nearly every i+a initiative that we have supported in the past decade,
on behalf of the US government, working closely with the IFPMA and its
members.  This includes the use of diplomatic power and bullying many
country delegations and US agencies, to advance the pharmaceutical
industry agenda. She knows as well as anyone the instruments of power
and leverage used by the US government in trade negotiations, and will
be a position to  press US negotiators hard.

  Jamie

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IFPMA Appoints Alicia Greenidge as New Director General

Geneva, 30 May 2008 - The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufa=
cturers & Associations (IFPMA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Al=
icia Greenidge as its new Director General. She will take office on 2 June =
2008 and will succeed Dr. Harvey Bale, who is retiring after almost eleven =
years in the position.

Mr. Fred Hassan, President of the IFPMA and Chairman and CEO of Schering-Pl=
ough, said: "Ms. Greenidge has extensive experience working with the Geneva=
-based intergovernmental organizations, as well as substantive knowledge of=
 many issues of concern to the IFPMA. This experience, combined with a prac=
tical approach and keen mind, will equip her well for this challenging role=
. I am very pleased with her appointment to lead IFPMA."

Ms. Greenidge comes to the IFPMA with more than fifteen years experience in=
 bilateral and multilateral negotiations with governments in the Americas, =
Africa, Asia, Pacific, Middle East, and Europe, working largely for the Off=
ice of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), both in Washington an=
d in Geneva. In Geneva for nearly ten years, Ms. Greenidge served for a per=
iod as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and, for the last eight years, as Ass=
istant Deputy Chief of Mission and Senior Counsel.

Ms. Greenidge has gained a reputation as a strong and effective negotiator,=
 but also as a bridge and coalition builder. She has kept channels of commu=
nication open and contributed to many settlements and decisions before the =
World Trade Organization, notably the Public Health Declaration leading up =
to and at Doha, Qatar in 2001 and subsequent agreements with regard to loca=
l pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in developing countries, especially=
 Africa. She has participated in deliberations concerning questions on the =
relationship of the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement (T=
RIPS), traditional knowledge and the Convention on Biodiversity and led in =
negotiated agreements on Least Developed Country matters under TRIPS.

Since 1998, she also has interacted with, and advised on issues before, oth=
er inter-governmental organizations, such as WHO (including IGWG issues and=
 the IGM on virus sharing and access to vaccines), UNAIDS, WIPO, UNCTAD and=
 others. In addition, she has engaged constructively with several non-gover=
nmental organizations in Geneva.

During her government service, she has interacted with industries and assoc=
iations representing various sectors, including pharmaceuticals and her act=
ivities spanned across other subjects as well, such as trade remedies, disp=
ute settlement, textiles, electronic commerce, investment measures, develop=
ment assistance, aspects of the cotton issue, bananas and services trade.

Ms. Greenidge has a Juris Doctorate from Boston College, a Master's degree =
in Public International Law & International Development Economics from the =
American University, and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and=
 Sociology from C.W. Post College/LIU in the United States.