[e-drug] WHO: A turning point for a billion people or for billionaires?

["Jörg Schaaber" <jschaaber@bukopharma.de>]

E-DRUG: WHO: A turning point for a billion people or for billionaires?
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Dear E-druggers,

A few days one could read a WHO press release with the title: ?WHO MARKS A
TURNING POINT FOR ONE BILLION PEOPLE, AS DECISION-MAKERS COMMIT TO GLOBAL
ACTION AGAINST FORGOTTEN DISEASES? (19 April 200) which effectively
announces a medicine donation by the German company Merck (turnover 6.3
billion Euro; approx 8 billion US$).

[See http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr19/en/index.html
WB]

While the release starts rightly saying ?Most of the neglected diseases are
caused by parasites that thrive in impoverished settings, where water
supply, sanitation, and housing are poor. Apart from this strong link to
poverty, the diseases form a group because they permanently deform and
disable large numbers of poor people, trapping them in poverty [...] Most of
these diseases were once present across a wide area, but gradually
disappeared as standards of living and hygiene improved.? But then we learn
that we don?t have to fight poverty because ?The availability of safe and
effective drugs in large quantities makes it possible, for the first time in
history, to take immediate action against these diseases, without having to
wait for gradual improvements.? ? By the way: Didn?t we have a discussion
about the doubtful value of vertical interventions some time ago?

Nobody would dispute that treatment is a necessary option too, but to
propose drugs as the main solution seems a bit strange. And don?t believe
that better access to essential medicines is made possible by price
reductions and generic competition. Besides the decision of (some?)
developing countries to focus on health and development ?the decision by
industry to supply drugs for prevention or treatment at low or no cost has
also been decisive in turning the tide?. While the press release started
with one billion of people which suffer from neglected diseases, it ends
with the announcement of a donation of 200 million tablets of praziquantel
against schistosomiasis by German Merck KgaA, according to WHO worth US$ 80
million. 

A look at the price list of just one low cost supplier from Germany
(http://www.medeor.org/cms_save/108/Medikbestell0607.pdf) shows a price of
11.2 Euro ct per tablet for a small quantity (250 tablets) compared to 40
US$ct per tablet from Merck according to the WHO press release. 

Asking WHO for the threefold price difference yielded a surprising result:
?Dear Sir - you would need to contact Merck (Germany) to get the answer to
this. Apparently, the donation includes medicine plus cash, but you need to
confirm the exact terms with Merck."

The Merck press release (19 April 2007) is quite clear on this: The donation
includes only the drugs and shipping. Distribution and treatment is paid for
by WHO.

I wrote back to WHO: ?I thought to read a WHO-press release. I find it hard
to believe that WHO publishes data which it cannot explain. This makes me
think the WHO-press release is disguised industry-PR.? 

No response so far.

Regards

Jörg Schaaber
BUKO Pharma-Kampagne
August-Bebel-Str. 62
33602 Bielefeld
Germany
Tel +49-(0)521-60550
Fax +49-(0)521-63789
jschaaber@bukopharma.de
www.bukopharma.de