France accuses U.S. of HIV drug 'blackmail'

[papau]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/07/13/aids.conference/index.html

France accuses U.S. of HIV drug 'blackmail'
U.N.: Orphan crisis pandemic's 'cruelest legacy'
Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Posted: 10:50 AM EDT (1450 GMT)


BANGKOK, Thailand -- France accused the United States of "blackmail" tactics to pressure poor countries into ceding rights to make cheap generic HIV drugs, while the AIDS Conference issued a stirring call Monday to get more medicine to millions of needy in the developing world.

"A vicious terrorist is out there. It is not Osama bin Laden, it is AIDS," Hollywood actor Richard Gere told the conference. "The biggest threat to our livelihood, our happiness is AIDS."

A U.S. official denied the French allegation as "nonsense," while conference delegates lamented World Health Organization figures that show only about 7 percent of the 6 million people in poor countries who need antiretroviral treatment are getting it.

"All of us with the power and responsibility to make a difference, can only hang our heads in shame," said Jim Kim, WHO's AIDS director. "We know what we need to do. We know prevention and treatment must be accelerated together."<snip>

[papau]

1. Doctors Say Pact Threatens AIDS Progress (Trade Ag stops cheap drugs

Doctors Say Pact Threatens AIDS Progress (Trade Ag stops cheap drugs)


Bush uses trade agreements to help drug companies and screw those with AIDS.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-aid...

Doctors Say Pact Threatens AIDS Progress

A charity group urges Thailand to reject a U.S. trade deal that could end an affordable-drugs program, which is seen as a model for Asia.

By Thomas H. Maugh II Times Staff Writer July 13, 2004

BANGKOK, Thailand — A potential trade agreement between Thailand and the United States could derail this country's production of inexpensive AIDS drugs and imperil the future of an anti-HIV program that is widely considered a model for countries throughout Asia, the group Doctors Without Borders said Monday.

"If the Thais sign such an agreement, they will have to close down their generic drug production," Paul Cawthorne of the Belgium-based group told a news conference. "Trade rules are the biggest threat" to the fight against AIDS, he said.

Thailand is one of the few countries — others include India and Brazil — that manufacture generic versions of anti-HIV drugs developed by U.S. manufacturers.

The country began researching manufacturing techniques for the drugs in the early 1990s and was preparing to market a generic version of the drug didanosine when Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the drug's manufacturer, served notice that it held a valid patent on the drug. The Thai government was ready to accede, but Doctors Without Borders urged it to fight the claim.

The following year, Thailand's Central Intellectual Property Court ruled the patent invalid in Thailand, paving the way for the country to begin large-scale drug production.

That decision was, in effect, reinforced last September when the World Trade Organization agreed that poor nations could ignore patents in times of national health crises. <snip>

[hang a left]

4. This is just plain evil. Out and out evil.

Why are US pharmaceutical companies against this. It is not like the poor people in these countries could afford their drugs anyway. So they don't want them to receive any medicine at all. Someone tell me how this makes sense.

[RedStateDem]

5. Not sure I understand...

Toward the end of the article, the "unnamed" US official says any bilateral agreements would incorporate WTO rules which allow developing countries to manufacture generic replicas of patented drugs anyway. Doesn't that make the issue go away?

-->
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the French allegations "nonsense," and insisted that the trade agreements will be consistent with WTO rules that will allow poor countries to make generic drugs. "There really is no issue," he said.
<--

I don't understand where the blackmail is, since developing countries can make generic drugs now, and will be able to make generic drugs in the future. Unless it's blackmail to try to agree to a bilateral trade agreement...

I'm a little confused on this one...

RedStateDem

[MasonJar]

9. The American taxpayer gets to foot another Bush drug ploy.

[Voice_of_Europe]

6. more debt

Someone WILL pay for them.... or for a few of them anyawy...
The rest will die.

AIDS is what will throw Africa in an even deeper hole of dept if they don't act and plainly steal the know how.

I hope some computer nerd with a big heart downloads them like 10 Gigs of research data and jumpstarts their own production.

[RedStateDem]

7. oh, ok.

Thanks

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. this is why there will never be a cure for AIDS

There's too much money to be made in the treatment to ever come up with a cure.

Just string people along, make them live a little longer, so than can continue to pay a little longer.

Quite the racket, really.

[Kadie]

3. You posted the same time I did. LOL Here is another link.

Chirac Accuses U.S. Of 'Blackmail' Tactics On AIDS Drugs
Speakers Call For Wider Availability Of AIDS Medicine

POSTED: 10:10 am EDT July 13, 2004

BANGKOK, Thailand -- France accused the United States on Tuesday of pressuring developing countries to give up their right to make cheap generic HIV drugs in return for free-trade agreements -- with President Jacques Chirac calling the tactic "tantamount to blackmail."

U.S. official dismissed the French allegation as "nonsense," while delegates to the International AIDS Conference lamented figures showing only about 7 percent of the 6 million people in poor countries who need antiretroviral treatment are getting it.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Washington to show the same leadership in fighting AIDS as it has in fighting terrorism.

"We hear a lot about weapons of mass destruction, we hear a lot about terrorism. And we are worried about weapons of mass destruction because of the potential to kill thousands. Here we have an epidemic that is killing millions. What is the response?" Annan said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. in Bangkok.

more... http://www.thekcrachannel.com/health/3523990/detail.htm...

[papau]

8. Time for NAP - my nap! -- but it is nice to see great minds think alike!

:toast:

:-)