[Pharm-policy] Act-Up Paris: Pharmacia & Upjohn is outlaw (fwd)

[James Love]

From=20galk@compuserve.com Sun Mar 26 08:49:16 2000
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 13:58:33 +0200
From: Gaelle Krikorian <galk@compuserve.com>
To: TREATMENT-ACCESS - Treatment Access <treatment-access@hivnet.ch>,
     James Love <love@cptech.org>, Asia Russell <asia@CritPath.Org>
Subject: Act Up-Paris : Pharmacia & Upjohn is outlaw


Press Release,
Paris, March, 25, 2000


Pharmacia & Upjohn is outlaw.

More than one month ago, the pharmaceutical company Pharmacia & Upjohn
stopped manufacturing Rifabutine. Today, the global market isn=B9t
supplied anymore and the French drugstores =AD hospital or city
dispensaries =AD are out of stock.

Rifabutine (Ansatipine) is an essential treatment for a lot of HIV+
patients, especially for those in therapeutical failure (8,000 in
France, 50,000 in Europe). This is for two reasons :

- There is no other curative treatment for people suffering from
multi-resistant tuberculosis (WHO has, besides, given a world-wide alert
after recording the alarming spread of this type of tuberculosis).

- For preventive or curative MAC infections (Mycobacterium Avium
Complex), the other available molecules show strong interaction with
some antiproteases. =A0 =A0In France, the AFSSAPS (the French FDA) has
implemented a permit to market for a " second rifabutine " in
compassionate care : an equivalent molecule made up of slightly
different components (which would settle the raw material supply problem
met by the company). Yet, Pharmacia & Upjohn =A0is incapable of ensuring
the reserve stock. =A0The company contents itself with promising without
any proof that it will start manufacturing rifabutine again from
September 2000. =A0Those manufacturing problems, which endanger the lives
of hundreds of thousands of patients all over the world, are the
consequence of an increasing lack of interest from this company in
pathologies linked to HIV, and of a policy aiming at reducing the number
of manufactures so as to optimise ever more productivity. =A0Indeed, only
one site manufactured Rifabutine when three must be operational (this is
a strict requirement to obtain a permit to market a drug in France).
According to the terms and conditions of their permit, Pharmacia &
Upjohn is outlaw. The authorities must sue Pharmacia & Upjohn. =A0 - Act
Up-Paris requires the French government enforce the Article L.613-16 of
the French Intellectual Property Code, allowing it to use the patent of
a drug belonging to a company when the price of the product is
abnormally high or in case of insufficient supply. - The government must
allow other companies to use the patent and produce a generic version of
Rifabutine.



Contact: Act Up-Paris, G. Krikorian - Tel: 33 1 49 29 44 75 =AD
galk@compuserve.com


-------------------------------

Gaelle Krikorian
Act Up-paris
Commission Nord/Sud

BP 287 - 75 525 Paris cedex 11

Tel: 33 1 49 29 44 75
Cell: 33 6 09 17 70 55
Fax: 33 1 48 06 16 74
E.mail: galk@compuserve.com





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