Tuesday, July 11, 2000
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Tuesday, July 11, 2000
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Activists decry inaction by drug firms DURBAN -- Major international pharmaceuticals and UNAids yesterday faced the wrath of Aids activists who claimed the companies' programmes for cheaper Aids medication were appalling. Activists, journalists and pharmaceutical companies clashed during a media briefing at the 13th International Aids Conference which started here yesterday. Representatives of the international activist group Act Up demanded to know when the price of drugs would come down, saying that promises of cheaper drugs had been made for a long time, without any concrete action being taken by either UNAids or the pharmaceuticals. They also criticised pharmaceutical policies to make donations of millions of dollars to countries to buy drugs. "The solution is not to give millions of dollars, but to lower the price of your drugs," activist Marie de Cenical said. It is estimated that 95 percent of Aids sufferers do not have access to drugs to fight the disease, resulting in millions of people without hope of treatment. The cheapest drugs available to Africa cost about US$1 000 (about R7000) per person per year. Most Africans live on less than one US$1 (about R7) a day. The pharmaceuticals said in their defence that, contrary to popular belief, they were just as committed as everybody else to fight the Aids pandemic. Merck executive director for public affairs Jeffrey Sturchio said his company was committed to lowering prices. "What we are trying to do is to work constructively with governments," he said. Glaxo Wellcome medical director for sub-Saharan Africa Peter Moore said his company's policy over the past four years had been to negotiate for preferential prices to reduce the price of drugs such as AZT. The company was in discussion with the government to form a partnership. The Aids activists, however, continued their attack on the pharmaceuticals and UNAids for their failure to involve generic companies in the fight against Aids. It was stated that in countries like Côte d' Ivoire, the price of drugs had fallen by 40 percent because of competition between pharmaceuticals and generic companies. Act Up said there was no other solution but for the production of generics by local industries. The press conference at one stage turned into a spectacle with Awa Marie Coll-Seck of UNAids having to shout to make herself heard. Coll-Seck, defending the recently announced programme between five UN agencies and five pharmaceuticals to engage in dialogue for better care, said access to affordable treatment was a priority. -- Sapa
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HEAR OUR VOICES: Children join a march in Durban in support of people living with Aids shortly before the 13th annual International Aids Conference opened in the city on Sunday. (AP) |