Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Global Campaign Vows to Fight Corporate Drug Monopoly
BANGKOK - Public health and HIV/AIDS activists from the developing world are seeking to break the monopoly over drugs held by pharmaceutical giants through a new global campaign designed to influence international debate over the issue.
Formulated at the end of a three-day meeting, last week, which brought some 200 participants from 20 countries to the Thai capital, the campaign seeks ''a new way out of the current patent system; one that will encourage innovation of new drugs and access for all,'' says Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul, an organiser of the International Conference on Compulsory Licensing: Innovation and Access for All. ''What we have now is innovation controlled by the pharmaceutical industry that lets them have a monopoly on drugs.''
The conference participants -- who came from countries such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Cambodia, the United States and hosts Thailand -- have a meeting at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2008 as the first target of the new campaign.
At that meeting the Geneva-based health agency's executive board may receive a draft of a plan to find a compromise between the demands of big pharma, which produces patent-brand drugs, and the world's poor, who have little or no access to the available life-saving medication due to high prices.
The proposed plan is being drafted by the WHO's Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), which held a second round of discussions in early November. ''Our campaign wants to add to the IGWG's work, because we want to get our views heard at the January meeting,'' Kannikar told IPS.
''At the heart of the plan is finding an optimal way to boost research and development of affordable healthcare products so people, particularly in the developing countries, can receive treatment for diseases, with an emphasis on neglected conditions including tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS,'' states a background note by Intellectual Property Watch, a Geneva-based on-line publication, distributed at the conference.
Papers presented at the conference justified the need for such a shift, given that the pharmaceutical multi-national corporations (MNCs) have contributed marginally towards developing new drugs to help the world's poor. ''Only 10 percent of the total global investment in pharmaceutical research was directed towards neglected diseases affecting 90 percent of the world's population,'' noted Jakkrit Kuanpoth, from the law faculty of the University of Wollongong in Sydney, Australia.
As revealing were the numbers presented in a paper by Dr. Mira Shiva, from the non-governmental Health Action International. Shiva said that between 1975 and 2004, there were 1,556 new active ingredients for drugs developed by the pharma giants but only 18 were for tropical diseases.
''The drug companies don't do some of the innovation that is most important to developing countries with respect to neglected tropical diseases,'' Brook Baker, professor of law at Northeastern University, in Boston, in the U.S., told IPS. ''They put their research where they make the most money, from rich people in rich countries. That is where they earn over 90 percent of their research and development dollars.''
''There should be a new innovation reward system. Developing countries can and should pay something for innovation, but they should only be asked to pay for innovation that is most appropriate for themselves,'' he added.
The activists are bracing for a counter campaign from the pharmaceutical industry, which presides over an estimated 650 billion US dollar global market, of which all of southern Asia and south-east Asia account for only a 1.3 percent share.
Events in Thailand reflect this challenge, since the South-east Asian country has emerged as a leader in the developing world to take advantage of global trading rules to secure cheaper, generic drugs for public health emergencies such as HIV/AIDS.
Over the past year, Bangkok has used provisions available under the trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) to issue compulsory licences (CL) to break the patents for three drugs, two to prolong the life of people with HIV and a blood-thinner for heart patients. The right for developing countries to grant CLs or pursue parallel imports of generic drugs were approved by at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting in Doha, in 2001.
It has consequently enabled some 10,000 Thais living with HIV who need second-line anti-retroviral (ARVs) drug to live in hope of receiving affordable medication. Currently, an estimated 140,000 Thais receive the first-line of ARVs. The country is one that has been among the worst hit since the pandemic began in the region, with over 600,000 infected with HIV at present and some 300,000 having died due to AIDS over past two decades.
But as full-page advertisments that appeared in Thai and English-language newspapers on Friday made clear, the powerful pharmaceutical industry has other interests at heart. ''New drug discoveries help doctors save lives'' announced one advertisement to justify why big pharma should continue to enjoy its monopoly in the drugs market.
The advertisement placed by the pro-pharma lobby is the latest in a string of measures aimed at forcing Thailand to give up its right to issue CLs. The U.S. pharma MNC Abbott Laboratories has also struck back by withdrawing seven new drugs it had introduced into the market, including a second-line ARV that can be easily stored in tropical climates.
Even the U.S. government has retaliated against Bangkok, revealing Washington's interest in protecting its pharmaceutical industry. The Office of the United States Trade Representative has placed Thailand on the 'Priority Watch List' for intellectual property violations and also terminated duty free trade privileges that this country enjoyed.
''There is absolute double standards being applied here by the U.S. This is complete hypocrisy because there is no fuss made when compulsory licenses are issued in the U.S.,'' Robert Weissman, director of Essential Action, a Washington D.C.-based corporate accountability organisation, told IPS. ''The U.S. government has an automatic right to use any patent without any prior negotiations. There are many different ways in which we do compulsory licensing.''
''It is very important that a country's behaviour be judged according to international law,'' adds Dr. William Aldis, coordinator for health policy and research at the WHO's South-east Asia regional office, located in New Delhi. ''Thailand's is within the provisions of TRIPS. It is not violating any laws.''
© 2007 Inter Press Service
16 Comments so far
Show AllWell, its about time we fight, there is a need for the people of the world to work together to make our own peoples new world order and slam big pharma. Its preposterous that these companies are not in the business to save lives. Think of what we could do if all the companies worked together with the people and governments to directly serve the populace to bring peace and justice, good health and well being to all. There is no more power there than what we have given them. They should know that. So should we.
In times of crisis all things are public property. That's a human value unknown to this crop of Drug Lords who only lust for money and power.
A STORY OF PHYSICIAN MANIPULATION BY BIG PHARMA
The link below provides unusual details in how Big Pharma works to manipulate doctors to prescribe specific drugs. It provides an insight into how and why Big Pharma spends huge amounts for small differences in look-alike drugs while ignoring entire classes of drugs that would save many more lives.
In this case, a psychiatrist received from Wyeth, $30,000 a year above his $140,000 annual salary to meet with other doctors and persuade them to prescribe a particular anti-depressant sold by Wyeth.
The article also describes how one company gathers details from pharmacies about which doctors prescribe which drugs and how much. It then sells that information to Big Pharma which uses it to target particular doctors for meeting with their paid spokesdoctor.
The only reason this information surfaced was the "spokesdoctor" simply decided to give up the gig and return to objective medicine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/magazine/25memoir-t.html?em&ex=1196226000&en=14f86674a4b9bfd7&ei=5087%0A
US-trained capitalists exploit for profit the wants/needs of people, but they go much further by actively cultivating a culture of reliance on corporations, through psychological manipulation of the public in the form of marketing and "public relations" campaigns, and through much more subtle but powerful mechanisms such as influence on media content.
The capitalists discovered long ago that they can exploit human fears of disease and death for profit but only assuming they can convince the people that their magic potions are worth the people enslaving themselves to the capitalist economy.
This assumption is falling by the wayside today, along with most of US-style "laissez-faire" capitalist dogma. Most of the research behind commercial drugs is publicly-funded public enterprise. The commercial "added value" is mostly marketing, convincing people that they need these drugs when cultural/lifestyle changes are usually the best approach.
Functional markets have informed and responsible consumers placing market demands in society's better interests. Producers are limited to filling orders, and restricted from influencing anyone in any way. US-style "laissez-faire" capitalism is a beast that suppresses society's better interests and takes control over markets, governments and people in order to perpetuate itself. The beast manipulates the people, addicts them, hypnotizes them, stupidifies them, and severely damages their minds, bodies and spirits.
The people most effectively face down the capitalist beast by shifting their exchange/association away from it and toward their local communities. In this way, the people create a first line of defense from capitalist aggression - self-sufficiency. And their second line of defense are laws to reign in the capitalist beast - criminalizing/prosecuting any and all organized attempts to influence markets, governments and people.
A good first step will be to reverse recent deregulation that allows advertising prescription drugs.
Allowing advertising has resulted in consumers demanding unneeded prescriptions from doctors. The insurance companies are paying for the unneeded drugs, contributing to the rapidly escalating cost of medical care and medical insurance.
Right on and let's go to single payer insurance in the USA. The savings would be enough to provide health coverage for EVERYONE! C'mon you presidential aspirants. Take a statesman like stand for the good of all.
Nader found that Big Pharma gets much of its research into new drugs almost for free, from University research. Then they charge higher drug prices for their "cost" of research.
I heard it on the grape vine...All the big wig docs and even the old surgeon general think single payer is the way to go. Just the big pharma douche bags to go and we are in good health. Cant we just bomb big pharma? Reprocess them with all the nuke waste into toys for republicans to play with in their holding pens?
''What we have now is innovation controlled by the pharmaceutical industry that lets them have a monopoly on drugs."
That's because we're living on the planet of financial whores and thugs.
In her book "The Shock Doctrine", Naomi Klein refers to it as DISASTER CAPITALISM.
Big Pharma pays their ceo's in the hundreds of millions in annual compensation including stock. But what's worse is they have access to additional multiple ten's of millions in interest free "loans" that they never pay back since there's no penalty for defaulting. Big Pharma's big lie is that they need to make big huge profits to pay for research. But their R&D is only 5 percent of their massive annual windfalls. They spend 40% more on advertising than they do on research.
Sixxty Minutes claimed in 2003 that pharm prescription drugs were the most profitable business in the world. Bigger than oil, banking or manufacturing.
It's a certainty that they will be on this board soon spamming it now that CD has broached the subject. They hire disinformation specialists to run interference: All our stem cell boards were made ineffective at Yaho because the scum spammed us to death; freely admitting on one occation that they were on the big pharma payroll.
Big Pharma is a bitter pill to swallow.
I'll give them a fight! I'm glad I pick my medicines! Over 15yrs research and it can be done! Ask your Acupuncturist or Naturpath. Acupuncture has been around for 2000yrs B.C. The Chinese practice of herbs 4500yrs B.C. Readers Digest thinks (recently posted)some medicine (acupuncture) 4000yrs old, is only good for pain. That must have really hurt big pharma. Meanwhile Life Extention has their "Architects" posting they are working to make the deep freeze really work (and the un-deep freeze) based on ancient Egyptian building principles mixed with power crystals! That is western medicine and advertising in one!? Go big Pharm-out! Hey I heard the big pharma inhalers they use on cats have never really worked due to the fact most cats asthma is lack of nutrition and allergies (more lack of nutrition and stress)! Take a pill boss! Try doug fir, you sound stuffy! Agro-pharma needs to die!
I will not go into the buy out of the heirloom seed companies by these companies. What we have lost we will never know, or grow.
If there was any issue of major importance this one is it. SSDI forces people to take drugs that makes them sick with the side effects. Either you see your doctor on a regular basis or you will lose your benefits.
I still wonder how the HIV/AIDs virus came to be.
PDA is conducting this straw poll to determine which of the currently declared Democratic Candidates our membership is supporting for President.
Polling is open until 3pm Eastern time on December 4.)
https://www.pdamerica.org/polls/poll-pres-2008-1.php
It is only a despicable situation if you actually believe these Big Pharma drugs are helpful.
If the Pharmaceutical Industry developed and possessed "miracle" medicines that really "cured" our physical disabilities and refused to share them with other companies or countries then this would be a corrupt moral crime of the highest magnitude.
But essentially I think these so-called "cures" from wonder drugs is just a marketing ploy that appeals to people who have allowed their health to deteriorate and are now looking for a quick fix to bring their body back into balance.
These massive outbreaks of disease in Africa and other areas are more attributable to famine like conditions than the imaginary diseases the Big Pharm boys like to fabricate and promote.
I think huge doses of Fresh Fruits and Veggies will do more good than any amount of powdered milk and fresh drugs that do nothing but further debilitate the body.
Need I remind everyone that yesterday's awesome new medication touted as the miracle drug du jour, frequently turns out to be tomorrow's harmful killer.
I give you Vioxx as the latest example; prescription drug deaths in this country according to some estimates have now risen to number 4 as the cause of death in America. (JAMA)
"Each year prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require hospitalization. In addition, prescription drugs cause 100,000 deaths annually."
(American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine)
My position on this issue is generally very controversial with friends and family, who strongly believe in the advise of their doctors and the pills they dispense.
I have read extensively on the subject of the human body and health care. I have spent over 25 years searching for the truth and alternative approaches to good health aside from medication.
There is no medicine or drug on the market today that has the ability to cure anything.
Basically only the human body has the ability to reproduce blood cells and other essential chemicals that supply the body with what it requires for healing.
Following the simple rule of trusting my body to heal properly when it breaks down from bad habits and over indulgence, I simply allow my body to rest and fast for as long as it takes for the healing process to do its job.
Twenty years ago I went through my longest fast, 51 days to avoid having my Gaul bladder removed.
Three days into the fast the pain began to subside and a week later the swelling went down and the healing was in progress, without a single pill or injection of any kind, just distilled water.
With a slight alteration in my lifestyle I have never had a recurrence of that problem.
There is no drug on the market today that can do what the body can do for itself, if given the opportunity to rest and allow the healing to begin.
This basic philosophy has allowed me to avoid any type of drugs or medicine for over 30 years; I have not taken an aspirin or an anti-biotic and at 66 can bike, hike and kayak long distances.
"The doctor of the future will prescribe no drugs but will interest his patients in the care and nutrition of the human frame and in the cause and prevention of disease." - Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
"Let your Foods be your medicines, and your medicines your food."
Hippocrates c.460 - 377 BC
SEQUOIABISON That is the truth!
MA_Matriarch Have you heard of the Strecker memorandum? It was a video and a movement in San Fran a number of years ago, all based on a research paper on the development of the aids virus made by the US gov. It included the funding sources, the r and d, and all the dates and times. Its gives reason to why Reagan was such a mis believer and let it grow to be such a epidemic. I believe all parties where murdered. I have not been able to find it on the web, but it might be in the news archives. My copies were stolen from my house or I would mail you one. I've been on the "list" for a long time, its nothing new. "You rabble-rouser" my Grandmother would call me. She always had her eyes plastered on the political debates.
And shareholds are just as guilty and just as greedy.