Doha: Agreement on TRIPS and public health under threat

[Guest guest]

Joint press statement: Oxfam International - Medecins Sans

Frontieres - Third World Network

Doha, 9 November 2001

Agreement on TRIPS and public health under threat

Rich countries blocking drug deal for poor countries

Agreement on patents and public health could make or break the

WTO?s meeting in Doha according to agencies Oxfam

International, Medecins Sans Frontieres and Third World Network.

The United States government, supported by Japan, Switzerland

And Canada, are obstructing developing countries attempts to

Strengthen health safeguards in the WTO agreement on Trade

Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

The European Union, which shares some of the concerns of

Developing countries, has been attempting to broker a consensus

among the WTO member states. The EU so far seems to be sitting

on the fence. If it really wants to make a difference it has to

decide whose side it is on.

" The proposals of developing countries have been largely ignored in

the draft declaration presented at Doha. Rich world and drug

company lobbying in the WTO is treating the developing world with

contempt. Without a fundamental change in rich world attitudes to

developing world views a meaningful deal will not be struck at Doha.

The least this meeting should do is to endorse the key developing

country demand that nothing in the TRIPS agreement shall prevent

government from taking measures to protect public health " , said

Cecilia Oh, Third World Network.

" TRIPS and public health could be the deal that makes or breaks

the Doha meeting. We had hoped that the issue of access to the

patented anti-anthrax drug, Cipro, would make rich country

governments more sensitive to the needs in developing countries.

But the latest reports indicate that the US has not budged an inch " ,

said Senior Policy Advisor, Oxfam.

Some 14 million people die each year of preventable diseases. This

death toll could be reduced if low cost drugs were available but

TRIPS will prevent poor countries buying low cost drugs. Patented

drugs can cost up to 30 times more than low cost generic

alternatives.

" Any meaningful declaration on public health and TRIPS should

make it unambiguously clear that protecting the health and lives of

people is more important than protecting the commercial interests of

drug companies. If this meeting fails to act on TRIPS and public

health it will become impossible for anyone to maintain the position

that TRIPS is a balanced agreement. " said Ellen 't Hoen, Medecins

Sans Frontieres.

ENDS

For more information contacts in Doha:

Oxfam: Ian Bray +44 7799 606 987 or

Phil Twyford +44-7740 404487

MSF: Berman +41 7928 69649 or

Ellen ?t Hoen +33 622 37 58 71

TWN: Cecilia Oh +6012 485 1951

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Ingrid

Information Officer

Campaign for Access to Medicines

MSF Geneva

Ingrid_COX@...

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