5th Anniversary of the Doha Declaraton. CIPLA Press Release

[Guest guest]

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DOHA DECLARATION–14TH NOVEMBER 2001

The Doha Declaration of 14th November 2001 was a historic event.

All the seven points formulated after a process of considerable

diligence were mindful of the public health problems faced by the

developing and least developed countries of the world. Its focus

included HIV/AIDS, T.B., Malaria and other epidemics. However,

unfortunately, even five years later its provisions have not been

implemented.

The impact of non-implementation of the initial Doha Declaration

will certainly be felt throughout the third world. Cipla was the

first company worldwide in 2001, to radically bring down the price

of anti-AIDS triple combination drugs from US$ 12,000 per patient

per year to below US$ 1 per day. Over the past 5 years this has had

a significant impact on the treatment of HIV/AIDS. As of today,

approximately 1.3 million HIV positive patients are being treated by

anti-retroviral drugs, of which approximately one third i.e. 400,000

are on Cipla's medications, the cost of which today is well below

US$ 150 per patient per year for the first line triple drug

regimentation.

Cipla strongly believes that access to medicines is a fundamental

human right. Cipla has consistently articulated this belief at

various public forums in the past. To be more emphatic, " What's the

use of developing life-saving medicines if you can't make them

affordable to the patient? "

Currently, Cipla continues to make available most of the HIV/AIDS

drugs that were invented prior to the WTO Agreement on patents

(1995), at affordable prices. However, patents are likely to prevent

Cipla from producing affordable versions of the most recent HIV

drugs available in the world, such as atazanavir, darunavir or

tipranavir. Indeed, the WTO mandates that these medicines shall be

patentable in every country. In effect this means that Cipla can no

longer develop any generic versions of new and emerging medicines

for a dreaded disease like HIV/AIDS.

Thus, five years after the Doha Declaration, the world has not

upheld its promise to the poor and diseased. The obstacles posed by

the globalization of patents is still blocking access to medicines

at affordable prices. Worse, whereas the Doha Declaration called for

the WTO agreement on patents to be implemented in a manner conducive

to access to medicines, in reality India was pressured last year

into broadening the scope of patents and narrowing the scope of

compulsory licensing - well beyond its obligations under the TRIPS

agreement.

Cipla recognizes the fact that intellectual property has to be

suitably rewarded, but the third world countries including India

cannot afford a monopoly in health care. It is imperative that the

original Doha Declaration of 2001 be passed in its original form,

with a clause of compulsory licensing of all valid patents for all

essential drugs required in the third world under payment of a

nominal royalty to the originator. Unless this is done, newer drugs

developed for HIV such as the integrase inhibitors and newer

protease inhibitors will never be freely available at equitable

prices. As a company that contributes towards making life better

for everyone and follows a humanitarian approach to diseases

prevalent, essentially in the third world, Cipla would very much

like to see the world take a positive stand and urgently implement

the original Doha Declaration.

Dr Y K Hamied

Chairman and Managing Director

Cipla Ltd.

Mumbai Central

Mumbai 400 008

Tel : 91 22 23082891, 23095521

Tel : (Dir) : 91 22 23070201

Fax : 91 22 2309 3505, 23070013

Mob: + 91 9820298765

Mob (UK) : + 44 7979 690690

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