[Ip-health] Please sign: patent pool sign on letter to UNITAID Foundations Board Members

[Asia Russell]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Dear all

There are many important letters circulating about UNITAIDand the
patent pool right now--we hope you will review and endorse this short
letter, pasted below--it's a request to the Board Members of UNITAID
who represent the Foundations Constituency to support the patent pool
implementation plan, which will be considered at the upcoming
executive board meeting December 14-15.

This letter was developed because at this point civil society's
understanding is that all UNITAID board members except the Foundations
Constituency have so far expressed public support for the patent pool,
and we would like their support as well.

Just send an e mail with your organization name by COB December 13 to unita=
idpatentpool@gmail.com
. Apologies for the short turnaround time.


Best

Asia


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Asia Russell
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
email: asia@healthgap.org
tel: +1 267 475-2645
http://www.healthgap.org


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Mr. Joe Cerell, Board Member

UNITAID Executive Board

Constituency of Foundations


Mr. Todd Summers, Alternate Member

UNITAID Executive Board

Constituency of Foundations



Dear Joe and Todd:


On behalf of civil society organizations working on access to HIV
medicines for all, we wish to express our strong support for approval
of the Patent Pool Implementation Plan (hereinafter, the
=93Implementation Plan=94) at the upcoming UNITAID Executive Board Meeting
to be held December 14-15.

We strongly support the creation of a UNITAID patent pool for three
key reasons: (1) the pool will allow greater access to affordable HIV
medicines of assured quality via promotion of robust competition by
generic producers selling in aggregated developing country markets;
(2) there will be multiple sources of supply reducing the risk of
supply interruptions from single-source suppliers; and (3) the pool
can incentivize the creation of rational fixed-dose combinations,
pediatric formulations, and improved heat-stable and delayed-release
formulations that are desperately needed in developing country contexts.

However, in order to ensure that a UNITAID patent pool actually
achieves these crucial objectives, the patent pool must be available
to all developing countries=97middle- and low-income countries alike. We
are pleased to note that this essential parameter of the patent pool
has been emphasized in a recent statement by Philippe Douste-Blazy,
the chair of UNITAID Board.[1]

We are writing to you in order to request that your constituency also
express its support for the Implementation Plan. Private Foundations,
including the Gates Foundation, are important UNITAID partners. Your
public support is needed now in order to ensure the success of the
Implementation Plan.

We will be monitoring the progress of the Implementation Plan closely,
and we hope for your leadership in working with other Board Members to
ensure its unanimous Board approval, with an understanding that every
effort will be made to ensure that the patent pool licenses include
all low- and middle-income countries.

Sincerely,

<list in formation>


African Services Committee

Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria

Health GAP (Global Access Project)

M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res (MSF) Campaign for Access to Essential
Medicines




[1] Statement on Patent Pool Scope by UNITAID Chair Philippe Douste-
Blazy available at: http://www.unitaid.eu/en/20091208227/News/STATEMENT-ON-=
PATENT-POOL-SCOPE-BY-UNITAID-CHAIR-PHILIPPE-DOUSTE-BLAZY.html