[Pharm-policy] USA seeks to remove IPR section from AIDS resolution at WHO

[James Love]

I just heard from people on the ground in Geneva, that the US Government
is lobbying to remove language in the World Health Assembly Executive
Board Resolution on HIV/AIDS (EB 105/12, on the web at
(http://www.who.org/wha-1998/EB105/PDF/ee12.pdf).

The Clinton/Gore administration is apparently working with the
International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, Merck and
other parties to remove this language from page 6 of the HIV/AIDS
resolution:

The Executive Board . .  . REQUESTS the Director-General:

        7)    on their request, to advise governments 
        on their options  under the Agreement on 
        Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property 
        Rights (TRIPS) to increase their capacity to 
        negotiate for more affordable HIV/AIDS-related 
        drugs;

  This is similar to the language that passed the World Health Assembly
in 1999, after a bitter two year fight between the developed and the
developing countries.   The drug companies are very unhappy having the
WHO involved in these trade issues, but the USG supposedly just endorsed
this for our own trade policy.

   This is a strange development, coming so soon after Vice President
Gore and President Clinton's recent speeches on HIV/AIDs and US trade
policy.   According to one MSF official, "it is same old same old
policy" from the US, and the "US embassy is all over this."  

   Apparently the US government has also asked that other language in
the resolution be replaced with language that came from an IFPMA
roundtable session on HIV/AIDS.

   I'll ask for some explanation from the White House, and I would
encourage others to make some calls.  This is happening right now.  The
WHA Executive Board will be meeting again tomorrow.

 Jamie

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



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James Love, Consumer Project on Technology    
P.O. Box 19367        | http://www.cptech.org 
Washington, DC 20036  | love@cptech.org       
Voice 202/387-8030    | Fax 202/234-5176