[Pharm-policy] Re: Pharm-policy digest, Vol 1 #109 - 1 msg

[Yvonne Melia]

The full report is on the site.  The title of the report 'Beyond our means'
etc is in blue, just click on the title in blue and this brings you to the
page where the report can be downloaded.
Yvonne     

At 12:00 PM 7/11/00 -0400, you wrote:
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>Today's Topics:
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>  1. Panos Report - "Beyond Our Means?" (Thiru Balasubramaniam)
>
>--__--__--
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 10:30:34 -0400
>From: Thiru Balasubramaniam <thiru@cptech.org>
>Organization: Consumer Project on Technology
>To: Multiple recipients of list IP-HEALTH <ip-health@venice.essential.org>,
>Multiple recipients of list PHARM-POLICY <pharm-policy@venice.essential.org>
>Subject: [Pharm-policy] Panos Report - "Beyond Our Means?"
>
>Richard Jeffries posted this on healthgap.
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----------------------
>The Panos Report "BEYOND OUR MEANS? The Cost of Treating HIV/AIDS in the
>Developing World" has been released, there's a whole bunch of info
>including a summary document on their website. I can't find the whole
>report, though. Following is a link to the website and a related Reuters
>story from today.
>
>http://www.panos.org.uk/
>
>Poor nations pay highest prices for AIDS drugs
>
>By Richard Woodman
>
>http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/newsline/reuters/07118271.htm
>
>LONDON, Jul 11 (Reuters Health) - Poor nations in Africa where the
>majority of HIV-infected people live sometimes pay higher prices for
>antiviral drugs than rich western countries, a leading non-governmental
>organisation said, as the International AIDS Conference began in South
>Africa this past weekend.
>
>The Panos Institute, which campaigns on global development issues,
>released survey findings showing that the price of Lamivudine (3TC) 150
>mg ranged from US$340 to $810 in Africa compared with $290 to $524 in
>Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
>
>It also quoted wide variations in the price of zidovudine (AZT) 100 mg
>ranging from $86 to $270 in Africa and from $143 to $278 in Europe's
>OECD countries. The cost of a daily dose of Zalcitabine (ddC) ranged
>from $0.24 in Brazil to $3.75 in the Ivory Coast and $4.17 in Uganda.
>
>In a report entitled "Beyond Our Means?--The cost of treating HIV/AIDS
>in the developing world," the organisation said, "In May 2000, in
>response to growing demands, five of the world's largest pharmaceutical
>companies and UNAIDS announced that prices in the developing world would
>be drastically
>reduced.
>
>"But the warmth that greeted that announcement soon turned sour, when
>only one company, Glaxo Wellcome, announced a specific price cut [in
>relation to Combivir, which would sell through UNAIDS at $2 per day
>compared with $16 in the US], and the other companies refused to make
>specific commitments."
>
>Panos supporters told a news conference in London that unless companies
>cut prices there would be increased pressure on governments to ignore
>patents and introduce compulsory licensing. They pointed to the example
>of Brazil where intellectual property rights are not always respected
>with the result
>that generic drug companies sell the AZT/3TC combination for $1.44 per
>day compared with $18.78 in the US.
>
>They warned that these companies were willing to export drugs at similar
>low prices to African countries. Another possible solution, they
>suggested, was that UNAIDS should act as a bulk purchaser of low priced
>drugs for the developing world.
>
>Martin Foreman, director of the Panos Aids programme, warned that "[a]t
>least 12 million people are in urgent need of treatment for AIDS. Only
>if prices fall by at least 95% will antiretroviral drugs be accessible
>to the majority who need them. Even then, families will have to make
>tremendous
>sacrifices."
>
>None of the major companies accepted Panos' invitation to speak at the
>news conference.
>
>However, a Glaxo Wellcome spokesman told APM that the UN-led
>international partnership against AIDS was the best way to expand
>sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and patient care
>opportunities in developing countries.
>
>He said that the Brazilian generic producers only supplied about 20% of
>the Brazilian market and therefore did not have spare capacity for
>exports. In any case, he pointed out that the company's antiretrovirals
>enjoy patent protection in most African countries.
>
>AIDS Treatment Data Network
>611 Broadway, Suite #613
>New York, NY 10012
>Tel: (800) 734-7104
>Fax: (212) 260-8869
>E-mail: network@atdn.org
>Internet: aidsinfonyc.org/network
>
>
>
>
>
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>End of Pharm-policy Digest
>