[Ip-health] Calling for the Global Action Week against Roche!

[seo bokyeong]

Calling for the Global Action Week against Roche!


Korean patients and activists are calling for "The Global Action Week
Against Roche 1st-7th October 2008" to urge Roche to stop abuse their
power and threaten HIV patients, starting with October 1st, the
anniversary day of establishment of Roche.


* Background

Fuzeon is an essential drug for HIV-positive people who have tried
other anti-HIV drugs in the past and are unable to keep their viral
loads undetectable using drugs that are currently available. Korea
Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs listed Fuzeon on the
price of $18,000 a year in 2004. However the Swiss drug giant Roche
claimed $ 22,000 and has withheld the supply of this life saving drug
in South Korea.


A marketing director of Roche Korea said in the news interview that
Roche has not supplied Fuzeon to developing countries including South
Korea because they have no ability to pay for the drug. That is to
say, Fuzeon will not be supplied for the countries who do not have
enough money to pay for. In the meeting, Mr. Urs said 'we do not
business for saving lives, but for making money. Saving lives is none
of our business'.


Roche argues that the demand for $22,000 is never excessive one
because South Korea has the National Healthcare Insurance System and
is classified into high-income country by World Bank. However, it
should be noted that national healthcare system is currently under
threat from multinational drug companies. Aggressive drug pricing
policy by pharmaceutical companies is threatening not only developing
countries but developed countries.


Most developed countries have national healthcare system, but now it
is shrinking from the multinational drug companies and FTAs. For
instance, Korea-U.S. FTA makes it very difficult to issue 'compulsory
licensing' which enables people to control drugs and undermines
people's access to medicine by introducing various measures to
strengthen patent and intellectual property protections on medicine.
In this way, the national healthcare system even in the developed
countries is rapidly changing and the burden of expensive medicine
price now affects the people.


Big pharmaceutical companies often argue that the problem of 'access
to medicine' can be solved by charity and mercy to developing
countries. However, the exact point is not 'access to medicine for
poor' but 'access to medicine for all'. In addition, it should be
emphasized that people's struggle to access the 3rd line therapy is
also very important. Because we believe that any patient has a right
to access the most suitable and affordable medicine for oneself.

We believe that our struggle is your struggle and can be extended to
the campaign against the aggressive drug pricing policy of big
pharmaceutical companies and drug monopoly across the world.

* What you can do

Therefore we are calling upon people to take action around the world.
First, we are inviting you to sign-on the letter to urge Roche to
desist from jeopardizing the lives of HIV patients. If you would like
to sign on, please send your organization's name or your name and
city/state where you live or work to <naengee@hotmail.com>. The
deadline for sign-on is September 29, 2008.(the deadline has been
extended)


Second, we are calling for organizing every possible form of protest
such as picketing, press conference and demonstration from October 1st
to 7th. Please be sure to send any information to
<naengee@hotmail.com> so as to share news about your plans.


In solidarity

Solidarity for HIV/AIDS Human Rights Nanuri+

Seo Bo Kyeong
+82164078910
Seobo17@gmail.com