[e-drug] Concerns about weakening proposals for cheap drugs

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E-drug: Concerns about weakening proposals for cheap drugs
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Medicines Sans Frontieres Concerned About Attempts to Weaken
Proposals for Cheap Drugs

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, March 27, 2003 
http://allafrica.com/stories/200303270193.html

NAIROBI, 27 March (IRIN) - The international NGO Medecines Sans
Frontieres (MSF) expressed concern on Thursday that some EU
member states are trying to water down proposals by the EC that
would allow developing countries to buy essential drugs at prices far
below the normal market rate.

The EC proposed in October 2002 a price regulation scheme under
which pharmaceutical companies would reduce their prices for
essential medicines by at least 80 percent compared with the average
prices in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development. The reduction would enable developing countries -
most of which are African - buy drugs at affordable prices to fight
diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS, whose present cost
is often prohibitive for them.

MSF said that some countries, especially France, had made counter
proposals that would weaken the scheme.

"In response to pressure from the [pharmaceutical] companies, the
French proposal aims at only a 70 percent reduction in price, as
opposed to the 80 percent proposed by the Commission," MSF
reported.

MSF representative Ellen't Hoen said it was essential that EU
member states strengthened, not weakened, the pricing scheme so
that patients in poor countries would have access to essential
medicines at affordable prices.

"Pharmaceutical companies are afraid to have limits imposed on their
pricing policies for developing countries and the member states of the
EU are giving in to this pressure, all under the cover of offering
advantageous prices to developing countries," she said.




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