[Pharm-policy] MSF PRESS RELEASE - Pfizer South Africa Donation Date:

[James Love]

Subject:  MSF PRESS RELEASE - Pfizer South Africa Donation
   Date:  Tue, 20 Jun 2000 11:06:39 +0200
  From: "Toby Kasper" <tobyk@mweb.co.za>


PFIZER LIMITS SCOPE OF DONATION OF HIV DRUG IN SOUTH AFRICA
- MSF Reiterates Demand that Pfizer Unconditionally Reduce Price or
Issue Voluntary License for Fluconazole -

Geneva (June 20, 2000) - The international medical aid agency Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) today admonished Pfizer for not making good on its
promise to provide fluconazole (brand name Diflucan) for free to people with
HIV/AIDS in South Africa.

As negotiations proceed with the South African government on the details of
how the donation will be structured, the highly restrictive nature of the
offer is becoming clearer.

"The cumbersome conditions that Pfizer is imposing on its much-publicized
offer to provide fluconazole for free to people with AIDS is disappointing,"
said Eric Goemaere, M.D., MSF, South Africa. "Most outrageous is Pfizer's
attempt to structure this donation like a clinical trial, adding onerous
reporting and training requirements. South African physicians are
experienced professionals and it is patronizing to require special training
for routine treatments. South African physicians are currently diagnosing
opportunistic infections that can effectively be treated by fluconazole, but
are unable to do so because of the price."

In the ongoing negotiations between the South African government and Pfizer,
the company has placed other significant limitations and restrictions on the
proposed donation. Contrary to the initial demand, the donation is being
restricted to cryptococcal meningitis, which means that oral thrush and
life-threatening oesophageal candidiasis will not be included.  The company
has also put a time limitation on the offer.

If the South African government is not satisfied with Pfizer's proposal to
increase access to fluconazole, it could decide to issue a compulsory
license, granting the right of production or import to one or more
producers/suppliers.  As Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the South African
Minister of Health, explained at a World Health Organization (WHO)
conference this week, compulsory licensing is a crucial tool to make
HIV/AIDS drugs more widely available.

Generic fluconazole is currently sold for US$0.29 (daily dose for
cryptococcal meningitis) in Thailand.  If Pfizer was to grant a voluntary
license to the South African government to import or manufacture quality
fluconazole the South Africans would be able to independently meet the needs
of AIDS patients who have both cryptococcal meningitis and candidiasis.

Cryptococcal meningitis is a fungal infection of the brain that, if left
untreated, is fatal within two months. In South Africa the government pays
R29 (US$4.15) for a daily dose, a price which the government can not afford
to pay.

"South Africa is facing one of the world's most acute AIDS epidemics with
more than 10% of the population infected with HIV. More than 100,000 people
died here of AIDS last year," said Dr. Goemaere. "It is unacceptable that
Pfizer still refuses to sell this product at an affordable price in poor
countries, or to let others have the legal right to do so."

Sales of Diflucan were more than US$1 billion in 1999.

MSF continues to support TAC's initial request: Pfizer should reduce the
daily price of Diflucan in South Africa to below R4 (US$0.60) or issue TAC a
voluntary license to allow generic competition to reduce prices to
affordable levels. Pfizer has also rebuked similar requests from other
countries around the world.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is conducting an international campaign to
improve access to essential medicines in poor countries. For more
information, see www.accessmed-msf.org.

For additional comment, contact:
Daniel Berman (Geneva):  41 79 286 9649
Toby Kasper (South Africa):  27 82 370 5307

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James Love, Director           | http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love@cptech.org 
P.O. Box 19367                 | voice: 1.202.387.8030
Washington, DC 20036           | fax:   1.202.234.5176
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