[Ip-health] Re: Fw: [HEALTHGAP] George Soros Calls on UNITAID to Adopt Patent Pool

[Matthew Kavanagh]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Thanks for the clarification, Shannon, about the delegation...
Either way, glad to see foundations involved in
UNITAID supportive of this push.

> ------------------------------
>  *From*: Shannon Kowalski
> *To*: 'healthgap@critpath.org' ; 'ip-health@lists.essential.org' ; '
> internationaltreatmentpreparedness@yahoogroups.com'
> *Sent*: Fri Dec 11 12:45:02 2009
> *Subject*: Re: [HEALTHGAP] George Soros Calls on UNITAID to Adopt Patent
> Pool
>
>  Hi all,
>
> Thanks for sharing Matt. OSI is not currently a member of the Foundations
> delegation, but we are strongly supportive of the patent pool and will do
> what we can to ensure that the patent pool is endorsed by the Board.
>
> Regards,
>
> Shannon
>
> Shannon Kowalski
> Program Officer, GFATM
> Open Society Institute
>
> ------------------------------
>  *From*: healthgap-bounces@critpath.org
> *To*: ip-health@lists.essential.org ; Hgap list ; ITPC
> *Sent*: Fri Dec 11 12:15:21 2009
> *Subject*: [HEALTHGAP] George Soros Calls on UNITAID to Adopt Patent Pool
>
> All... Please note (below & attached) this helpful letter from George Sor=
os
> of the foundation Open Society Institute and leading international invest=
or
> to
> the board of UNITAID calling for a strong patent pool, with access for lo=
w and middle income countries.
> Note that OSI is not a board member, but I believe is part of the
> foundations delegation... It's good to see such clear consensus forming t=
o
> move this forward.
> _M
> ---
>
> 23 November 2009
>
> Dear Drs Douste-Blazy and Bermudez:
>
> I am writing to voice my support and encourage UNITAID=92s Board and
> Secretariat to continue its ground-breaking, innovative work on the
> establishment of a patent pool for HIV/AIDS medications. I wish to
> congratulate UNITAID on its demonstrated vision and leadership in taking =
on
> this important issue.
>
> I have been involved for many years through my Foundation, the Open Socie=
ty
> Institute, in access to essential medicines work.  Over the last 15 years=
,
> OSI has funded HIV/AIDS and TB treatment and prevention efforts in countr=
ies
> in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa.  I have personally supported =
the
> creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), with
> which OSI has also subsequently engaged in support of effective grant
> implementation.. Since 2007, OSI's Access to Essential Medicines Initiati=
ve
> (AEMI) has assisted the leading civil society organizations working on
> intellectual property and access to medicines issues, including on the
> advancement of new models to incentivize public health needs-driven
> innovation and access. As you are aware, we have also supported the civil
> society delegations on the UNITAID Board, to actively contribute to
> realizing UNITAID=92s ambitions of improving access to lifesaving medicin=
es
> and foster innovation.
>
> In the last 10 years, access to HIV/AIDS treatment has vastly expanded
> globally. This increased access resulted largely from generic competition=
,
> which drove down the prices of the initial first-line treatments, and fro=
m
> the establishment of the GFATM. These advances are currently endangered b=
y
> high prices for both improved first line treatments and all second line
> treatments. In the post-TRIPs era, the mechanisms previously used to crea=
te
> generic competition are no longer available. In addition, little research
> and development work is currently dedicated to finding more relevant, bet=
ter
> adapted formulations for particularly vulnerable groups in resource poor
> settings. These include affordable fixed-dose combinations and critically
> needed formulations for children. In the current international financial
> context, it is even more urgent to explore new mechanisms to boost the
> availability of patient-friendly and affordable lifesaving medicines.
>
> UNITAID=92s Medicines Patent Pool initiative has the potential to bring a=
bout
> a highly needed paradigm shift to allow the world community to better
> address the chronic crisis of access to essential medicines in low- and
> middle-income countries. There is compelling case to be made for medicine
> patent pools, especially for lifesaving medicines for an enormous public
> health need such as HIV/AIDS.
>
> The UNITAID Medicines Patent Pool is a strategic opportunity to establish
> long term solutions to excessively high priced AIDS medicines, and could
> foster innovative and needs-driven R&D to generate new AIDS drugs. It wil=
l
> be essential for the patent pool to cover not only low income countries b=
ut
> also middle income countries where access to essential medicines remains =
a
> challenge for the poorest and most marginalized. Through our work in East=
ern
> Europe and Central Asia for instance, we hear on a daily basis that ARV
> prices, and lack of appropriate dosage forms constitute major barriers to
> increase access to treatment.
>
> Since current mechanisms do not provide sufficient incentives to address
> these needs, I, along with many OSI partners, fully support UNITAID=92s
> courageous endeavor that will not only change market dynamics for AIDS
> medicines but can also serve as a model for other diseases in the future.
> Health activists, particularly those advocating on HIV/AIDS worldwide, ar=
e
> excited about this UNITAID initiative.
>
> UNITAID is uniquely positioned to drive the patent pool forward. In line
> with its engagement with UNITAID, OSI would be keen to support an active
> civil society engagement in the framing and implementation of this
> initiative.
>
> Yours Sincerely,
>
> George Soros
> --
> Matthew  Kavanagh
> Health GAP (Global Access Project)
> tel +1 202 355-6343 // mob +1 202 486-2488
> matthew@healthgap.org
>   www.healthgap.org
>



--
Matthew  Kavanagh
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
tel +1 202 355-6343 // mob +1 202 486-2488
matthew@healthgap.org
  www.healthgap.org