[Ip-health] New Release: Harvard Students Point Out "Fundamental Gaps" in University's Plan to Bring Medical Technologies to the World's Poor

[Sarah Sorscher]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
*For Immediate Release*


Sarah Sorscher, Harvard Chapter, Universities Allied For Essential Medicine=
s
(UAEM)
Phone: (206) 852-0957 sesorscher@gmail.com



*Harvard Students Point Out "Fundamental Gaps" in University's Plan to Brin=
g
Medical Technologies to the World's Poor*

On Thursday, November 19th, at 4pm, students will hold a public rally at
Harvard University's Massachusetts Hall to express concern over fundamental
gaps in the university's recent statement promising to make medical
technologies developed in its laboratories accessible to patients in
developing countries.

Last week, Harvard joined 10 other institutions in signing a statement of
principles claiming a commitment to make university technology accessible t=
o
the world's poor. The document stated that university patents "should not
become a barrier to essential health-related technologies needed by patient=
s
in developing countries." Yet Harvard privately told students that it had n=
o
plans to stop the practice of asserting patents in India, China, and any
other developing country with the capacity to make generic drugs for export=
.
"The problem with Harvard's practice is that it cuts off generic drugs at
the source," said Sarah Sorscher, a JD Candidate at Harvard Law involved in
the Harvard Chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, one of
the student groups coordinating the rally. "It doesn't matter if Harvard
promises not to patent in the rest of the developing world. Without
factories to make the drug, patients won't have access."

The students argue that universities and their commercial licensees already
make enough profits to fund drug development by marketing patented products
in the US, Canada, European countries, and other developed countries, where
the global pharmaceutical industry continues to make about 95% of its
profits. "The prospect of squeezing that additional revenue from developing
countries should not justify cutting off access to essential medicines for
millions," said Sarah.

Harvard owns and licenses patents addressing diverse disease areas,
including cardiovascular disease, cancer, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

Harvard has offered to compromise by offering sub-licenses to non-profits
and governments to use Harvard patents for humanitarian purposes. "This is
at best a partial fix," said Krishna Prabhu, an undergraduate at Harvard
College and member of the Harvard Global Health and AIDS Coalition. "These
humanitarian groups have limited supplies and can only serve a fraction of
the need in any given country. When supplies run out, patients are forced t=
o
turn to private pharmacies, and few can afford the price."

The students also pointed out that Harvard currently only includes these
terms for infectious diseases and diagnostics, while therapeutics for other
conditions, like cancer and diabetes, are being patented and licensed
without humanitarian terms. "Non-communicable diseases account for about
half of disease mortality in developing countries," said Karolina Maciag, a=
n
MD/PhD student at the Harvard/MIT HST program. "The World Health
Organization has estimated that about 80% of diabetes deaths in the world
now occur in developing countries."

Students criticized the fact that Harvard does not publish data about actua=
l
practices used in licensing agreements. "We need transparency to show this
policy is actually doing what it claims and delivering access in developing
countries," Prabhu stated. "Yet Harvard does not publish even the most basi=
c
data, like the identity of the products that are covered by these
agreements." The students insist that if Harvard cannot make the terms of
the deals public, it should set up an independent, confidential body of
faculty and students to review and report on the impact of Harvard's
licensing practices moving forward.

The students hope to reach a compromise that will allow Harvard to continue
licensing its patents so they can be commercially developed into life-savin=
g
medical technologies, while providing access for the world's poor.

###


*About the Harvard Chapter of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
*
Harvard Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (Harvard UAEM) is part
of a coalition of over 50 UAEM chapters at top research institutions across
the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.  UAEM=92s missi=
on
is to ensure that people in developing countries have access to medicines
developed in universities and that university medical research addresses th=
e
needs of the majority of the world=92s population.  As an organization whic=
h
values innovation, we work to empower students to find new ways to improve
access to health throughout the world. www.essentialmedicine.org.