<nettime> copy=right

[florian schneider <fls@kein.org>]

http://www.genericsnow.org/

Tuesday February 21, 2001

Aids : first international summit for generics

The first Summit for access to HIV/Aids drugs, an initiative of Act
Up-Paris and ReMeD, will take place in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) between
3 May and 7 May 2001.

Today, a huge majority of the 36 million people living with HIV/AIDS
cannot access multitherapies because of the current prices set by the
pharmaceutical companies who own the patents on those drugs (up to almost
10,000 euros per patient per year). Only a few thousand now benefit from
generic versions, or copies of those treatments. The current emergency is
to make this access available to all in the southern countries.

This summit on generics is an unprecedented initiative of committed
pro-treatment access People With AIDS groups, working in more than thirty
countries, most of them from Africa. It will enable participants to study
all perspectives of production and importation of generic drugs, or good
quality copies, in order that action be undertaken as soon as possible. It
is actually essential that legal clauses included in the WTO agreements
could be used by southern countries for PWAs and to defend public health
stakes.

After four days of strategic brainstorming, local actors will invite
international financial backers and political representatives to take
concrete measures for this initiative to open a way to an effective
availability of generics in southern countries.

On 26 February 2001, the organisers of the summit will meet the press in
Paris, at the Bourse du Travail at 6, rue du Château d'eau, together with
representatives of associations supporting the initiative.

The international summit for access to HIV/Aids drugs is supported by :
ANSS (PWA association, Burundi), Comité Burkinabè pour les Génériques,
Consumer Project on Technology, Health Action International, Health Gap
Coalition, International Coalition of Women with HIV, Médecins Sans
Frontières, Planet Africa, Réseau Africain des Personnes Séropositives,
Réseau Santé Bouaké, Treatment Action Campain, Women Fighting Aids in
Kenya

Press/media contacts : Emmanuel M'BAI KOUE, 
Germinal PINALIE email : media@genericsnow.org




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