Cipla Meeting with WHO and UNAIDS

[Guest guest]

Representatives of Cipla met with WHO and UNAIDS,

the European Commission and MSF yesterday (22 March 2001)

in Geneva to discuss the company's recent offer to

provide developing countries with low cost

antiretroviral therapy. UNAIDS/WHO

issued a statement after the meeting, which can be

found on the UNAIDS and WHOs Websites.

The aim of the meeting was to get clarification on a

range of issues relating to Cipla's recent offer to make reduced

price triple combination therapy available in developing countries.

These included pre-qualification, registration requirements,

supply logistics, technology transfer and validity of

patents.

The UN has identified, through a public call for

Expressions of Interest to manufacturers of HIV-related

pharmaceuticals and diagnostic equipment, 34 suppliers of

HIV-related medicines and diagnostics, 29 of which are from the

generics industry. An analysis of these offers will

be made publicly available in mid-2001.

Cipla's offer will be included in this analysis.

The approach of the UNAIDS Cosponsors and the

Secretariat is to help countries identify all legitimate

suppliers of affordable medicines of assured quality,

including those in both the generics industry and

the research and development-based industry. The information

supplied by Cipla will be evaluated to see how Cipla's offer

can be included in the information that the UN makes

available to interested governments and nongovernmental organizations.