|
MSF urges Indian and African govts to work together to maintain trade in affordable generic medicines
|
|
Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai
October 27 , 2015
|
|
|
As African leaders meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New
Delhi for an African Union-India meeting this week, the Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) has urged the African governments and India to work
together to maintain trade in affordable generic medicines that is a
lifeline for millions of people in India, Africa and other developing
countries.
Urging the African leaders and India to work together
to combat efforts to undermine the ‘pharmacy of the developing world’,
the MSF said that the African leaders really should see this summit as
an opportunity to work together with Prime Minister Modi to protect
affordable access for people across the developing world. They need to
remember that millions of people in Africa are alive today because of
affordable medicines made in India.
India is under considerable
pressure from the United States and other developed countries to roll
back its pro-public-health intellectual property policies that has put
access to vital lifesaving generic drugs above the profits of
multinational pharmaceutical companies. India is known as the ‘pharmacy
of the developing world,’ with more than 80 per cent of HIV medicines
used in developing countries, for example, being generics from India.
“We
were able to scale up HIV treatment in our programmes because Indian
generic medicines made treatment more affordable,” said Dr Gilles Van
Cutsem, Medical Coordinator for MSF in South Africa. “We shudder at the
threats that the India faces from the US government, other developed
countries, and multinational drug companies. Any shift in India’s policy
would dramatically undermine access to affordable medicines that we
need in India, across Africa and beyond.”
“In 2005 when India
needed to amend its patent laws, the government made the conscious
decision to protect people over profits and implemented some key
pro-public health provisions”, said Leena Menghaney, Head-South Asia,
MSF Access Campaign. “India’s policies have allowed for the production
of affordable generic medicines which many millions of people across the
developing world, including Africa, rely on.”
The historical
lack of patent barriers in India opened up generic production of some
older antiretroviral drugs, allowing the price of HIV drugs to be driven
down from over US$ 10,000 per person per year in 2000; today the
recommended first-line treatment costs governments in Africa and India
just over $100 per patient per year, and 15 million people in the
developing world now receive HIV treatment.
MSF uses generic
medicines made in India to treat more than 200,000 people living with
HIV in its programmes, and relies on Indian generics to treat many other
diseases and conditions, such as drug-resistant tuberculosis.
“The
Indian Prime Minister must consider the need to combat growing
epidemics such as drug-resistant tuberculosis, where treatment for just
one patient can cost several thousand dollars,” said Menghaney. “The
cost of newer drugs to treat multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)
could be cut by up to 95 per cent if generic versions could be produced
in India the same way as HIV drugs. India needs to continue its
production and supply of lower-cost generics, which are essential for
public health.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOPICS
|
That foods might provide therapeutic benefits is clearly not a new concept. ...
|
|
|
|
|