[Pharm-policy] Re: Amir on: Re: [Ip-health] African and US leaders sign cooperative
agreement on AIDS
amir_attaran@harvard.edu
amir_attaran@harvard.edu
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 12:28:22 -0500
Dear Julie,
I understand that the papers and the declaration that came out of the
meeting will be (or perhaps already are?) posted on the HAI website. I was
not among the organizing committee, and was simply one person in
attendance, so I can't answer your questions any more thoroughly than that.
I'd ask HAI for more if you're still curious, and I'm sure they'd be
forthcoming.
Let me emphasize again that having been there for nearly all of the two
days, I saw no questionable or shady intent at all, but a lot of frank and
collegial discussion. African treatment and prevention-based NGOs were
there, as were African PWAs, the press, and the clergy, and so I felt
comfortable that civil society was welcomed. I didn't count precisely, but
I'm pretty sure these folks outnumbered the industry reps -- and they
certainly got more airtime! It all seemed fairly balanced, and the
discussion was so wide-ranging on all the different facets of AIDS (not
just treatment access) that I wouldn't characterize it as a forum "for
bringing together industry and public health people", as you write It was
much less single minded than that.
Best,
Amir
jdavids@CritPath.Org
Sent by: To: love@cptech.org, ip-health@venice.essential.org,
ip-health-admin@venice.ess pharm-policy@venice.essential.org
ential.org cc:
Subject: Re: Amir on: Re: [Ip-health] African and US leaders sign
cooperative agreement on AIDS
11/17/2000 11:39 AM
Dear Dr. Attaran and others,
I do not percieve an attack on the Harvard AIDS Institute. I feel it is
entirely appropriate for advocates to
express surprise and concern when key activists and policy experts are not
aware of what seems to be
a very important forum for bringing together industry and public health
people.
Thus, I am wondering what was the outcome of the meeting, how can we access
minutes or transcripts, and
are there follow up meetings planned?
Julie Davids
HealthGAP Coalition
Critical Path AIDS Project
At 03:42 PM 11/16/00 -0500, James Love wrote:
>-------
>Subject: Re: [Ip-health] African and US leaders sign cooperative
>agreement on AIDS
> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 14:06:59 -0500
> From: amir_attaran@harvard.edu
> To: love@cptech.org, thiru@cptech.org
>
>Dear Jamie and Thiru,
>
>Not so fast on attacking the Harvard AIDS Institute, gentlemen! I have
>tried and failed to post this reply on IP-HEALTH and PHARM-POLICY, but
>would you please do on my behalf, starting at the "Dear Jamie" below.
>ciao
>a.
>
>__________________
>
>Dear Jamie,
>
>With regard to your comment on funding of the Africa Now event that was
>held by the Harvard AIDS Institute earlier this week, please trust me
>that
>there was no untoward colouring by Merck of the agenda, any more than
>there
>was colouring by the many civil society and religious groups who were
>there. The people at the Harvard AIDS Institute are good folks who ran
>a
>fair, well balanced, meeting. Naturally there was some discussion of
>using
>ARVs in Africa, and both the major pharmaceutical companies (speaking
>mostly through Bristol Meyers) and their critics (speaking mostly
>through
>the South African delegation) made eloquent presentations. In the full
>two
>days of the meeting, we heard discussion both about brand-name price
>differentiation, and about generics and compulsory licensing. Neither
>side
>of the debate was favored by the organizers.
>
>In the end, participants heard the perspectives of both sides honestly,
>and
>were free to come to their own conclusions. That's the best of all
>possible outcomes for such an event, and though my colleagues at the
>Harvard AIDS Institute cannot come to their own defence, I am pleased
>that
>they ran a process that was fair to all.
>
>All the best,
>Amir Attaran
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Dr. Amir Attaran, LL.B.
>Project Director, Macroeconomics and International Health
>Harvard University - Centre for International Development
>79 JFK Street, Room E505
>Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
>Tel: (617) 496-8712
>Fax: (617) 496-8753
>E-mail: amir_attaran@harvard.edu
>
>
>
>
>
>
>love@cptech.org
>
> Sent by:
>To:
> ip-health-admin@venice.ess
>cc:
> ential.org Subject:
>[Ip-health] African and US leaders sign cooperative
> agreement on
>AIDS
>
>
> 11/16/2000 12:14
>PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>I had no info or heads up about this.... Thanks to Richard Jefferys for
>posting this on health gap..., and reminding people of Merck and other
>industry funding of the Harvard effort. Jamie
>
>
>http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/newsline/reuters/11168681.htm
>
>
> African and US leaders sign cooperative agreement on AIDS
> Last Updated: 2000-11-15 18:00:40 EDT (Reuters Health)
> By Margaret A. Clark
>
> BOSTON (Reuters Health) - Leaders from 24 African nations
>met with leaders of the pharmaceutical industry, US policy advisors, and
>academia at a 2-day summit, at which they unanimously approved a
>framework document entitled "Principles of Collaboration: When
>Confronting AIDS in Africa" that complements the United Nations'
>International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa.
>
> The leaders, participating in the Africa Now! Summit, hosted
>by the Harvard AIDS Institute, hope that this document will serve as the
>foundation on which to build an alliance between US government programs
>and African initiatives to counter the growing AIDS epidemic in Africa.
>
> [snip]
>
>
>--
>James Love mailto:love@cptech.org http://www.cptech.org
>Consumer Project on Technology, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
>voice 1.202.387.8030 fax 1.202.234.5176
>
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>
>
>--
>James Love mailto:love@cptech.org http://www.cptech.org
>Consumer Project on Technology, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
>voice 1.202.387.8030 fax 1.202.234.5176
>
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