Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 14:07:09 -0500
From: James Love <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of list INFO-POLICY-NOTES
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Compulsory licenses and access to essential medicines NGO-sponsored
meeting in Geneva, March 26, 1999
http://www.cptech.org/march99-cl/pr1.html
Press Release
For Additional Information, contact
Nathan Ford, MSF London, at: 44.171.713.5600
Jamie Love, CPT, Washington, DC 202.387.8030
Bas van der Heide, HAI, Amsterdam, 31.20.683.3684
Compulsory licenses and access to essential medicines
NGO-sponsored meeting
Geneva, 26 March 1999
Geneva, March 1999. The role of compulsory licensing[1] of patents in
broadening access to essential medicines will be examined in a meeting
sponsored by Médecins Sans Frontières, Health Action International and
the Consumer Project on Technology. 'We are very concerned about the
growing number of lives at risk because of unequal access to medicines'
says Dr Bernard Pécoul of Médecins Sans Frontières. The meeting will
include discussion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa and Thailand, and
other instances where compulsory licensing of medical patents may be
appropriate for public health reasons.
Compulsory licensing is a legal mechanism used for both patents and
copyrights in a wide range of fields such as computers, nuclear energy,
music recordings and biotechnology. However, the use of compulsory
licensing for HIV/AIDS drugs or other essential medicines is
controversial: pharmaceutical companies and some governments in the
industrialized countries have opposed the use of compulsory licensing
for essential medicines. This is the subject of current international
trade disputes involving the US, Thailand, South Africa and other
countries.
Public health and consumer groups, governments of industrialized and
developing countries, pharmaceutical companies, and international
organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the World Health
Organization will take part in discussions on compulsory licensing of
patents to essential medical technologies at the NGO-sponsored meeting.
'The issue of compulsory licensing is too important to leave to patent
officers and trade officials. The public health community has to get
involved', explains Bas van der Heide of Health Action International.
Public health groups expect that some of these disputes will be put to
the World Trade Organization which can review the acceptability of
compulsory licensing under the international agreement on Trade Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property.
'This meeting is important because of the alarming rise of communicable
diseases in recent years' says James Love of the Consumer Project on
Technology. 'There is a vast disparity in world income and access to
essential medicines. New global trade agreements which set international
norms on the protection of intellectual property should address the
problems of access for the poor.'
In May of this year the World Health Assembly will meet in Geneva and
discuss a resolution which addresses WHO's role in monitoring health
implications of trade agreements and cooperation with the World Trade
Organization on matters concerning trade and public health.
------------
[1] Compulsory licensing is defined by WHO as "when [a] judicial or
administrative authority is allowed by law to grant a license, without
permission from the holder, on various grounds of general interest."
-------------
The meeting will take place in the Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland on March 26, 1999, 9.00-17.00. Members of the press are
invited to attend the meeting. Registration is obligatory for security
reasons.
To register for the meeting contact Marie Paule Pierotti at MSF:
Tel 41-22-849-8400
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Further information can be obtained from
Bas Van der Heide
Health Action International
Tel +31.20.683.3684 Fax +31.20.685.5002
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dr. Bernard Pécoul
Médecins Sans Frontières
Tel +33(0)1.60.62.26.33, Fax +33(0)1 40.21.29.62
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
James Love
Consumer Project on Technology
Tel 202.387.8030, Fax 202.234.5176
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
A web page for the meeting is on the Internet at:
http://www.cptech.org/march99-cl
Background information about compulsory licensing of is on the web at:
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/cl
Médecins Sans Frontières is the world's largest independent medical
relief organization, providing care to victims of war, disasters and
epidemics in 80 countries world-wide. (http://www.msf.org)
Health Action International is an informal network of more than 200
consumer, health, development action and other public interest groups
involved in health and pharmaceutical issues world-wide.
(http://www.haiweb.org)
Consumer Project on Technology is a US based non-profit research and
advocacy organisation created by consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Its
activities focus on information technologies, intellectual property and
research and development. (http://www.cptech.org)
--
James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology
I can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED], by telephone 202.387.8030,
by fax at 202.234.5176. CPT web page is http://www.cptech.org
