[Pharm-policy] 2 reports on Kenya vaccine meeting

[James Love]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_982000/982323.stm

Friday, 20 October, 2000, 19:54 GMT
Truce over Aids vaccine row

Trials of the vaccine have started
By Cathy Jenkins in Nairobi

British and Kenyan scientists have settled an argument over the
patenting of a vaccine for HIV, which both sides have been working
on together.

  [snip]

After two full days of talks, they agreed to set up a technical task
force consisting of intellectual property experts to see how the
Kenyans can be included in the patent already filed.

The scientists have been working on a joint project based on
research which appears to show that prostitutes working in Nairobi
slums have developed an immunity to HIV aids despite constant
exposure.

   [snip]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200010200073.html


AIDS Vaccine Experts Start Tense Meeting

The Nation (Nairobi)
October 20, 2000 

Arthur Okwembah
Nairobi 

Kenyan Aids researchers and their British counterparts are meeting
to discuss the potentially explosive issue of the vaccine patent.
The British researchers, from Oxford University, arrived yesterday
and went straight into the meeting with the Kenyans from the
University of Nairobi.

    [snip]

In an earlier e-mail response to the question of patents, Dr Coriat
said there were no Kenyan inventors of the vaccine. The UoN's
Microbiology Department, taken aback by Oxford's statement in
the Press, are insisting that they also provided the knowledge
which aided the development of the vaccine.

A source from the university at yesterday's meeting who declined
to be named said:

"I do not want to conduct science through the Press. But what I
can say is that the knowledge of Cytotoxie T Lymphocyte (CTL)
responses to HIV from the Majengo women solidified and
reinforced the belief that CTL would protect women from being
infected. No matter where other knowledge of CTL came from, we
want to emphasise that knowledge from Kenya among the sex
workers was crucial in the vaccine development."

The source, who looked visibly upset added: "We have been
carrying out research on this aspect since 1989 and we have the
knowledge of CTL response to HIV."

The CTL responses enabled commercial sex workers to remain
uninfected even after constantly being exposed to HIV-positive
partners.

    [snip]


The issue of patent. in intellectual property rights and the rights of
the Majengo women who contributed to the study has received
overwhelming public response, and Kenya's scientific community
are anxious for a positive outcome,

Kenyan scientists and medics are pleased that the issue of
patenting is finally being taken seriously by the University of Nairobi
and government. Last week the Tourism, trade and Industry
Minister, Mr. Nicholas Biwott said that he had ordered the Kenya
Intellectual Property Rights Office (KIP0) to advice the government
accordingly.

The outcome of this meeting could set a precedent for Kenya and
the Third World on future collaborative research between North
and South, Questions arising are will the outcome of this initiative
jeopardise the collaboration or strengthen it?

-- 
James Love, Consumer Project on Technology
v. 1.202.387.8030, fax 1.202.234.5176
love@cptech.org, http://www.cptech.org