[e-drug] Invitation to MSF Briefing at the 61st WHA

["Alexandra HEUMBER" <Alexandra.HEUMBER@brussels.msf.org>]

E-DRUG: Invitation to MSF Briefing at the 61st WHA
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[To respond DO NOT CLICK REPLY. Please RSVP confirming your attendance to: mai.do@msf.org]

Dear All,

We have the pleasure to send you below, an invitation to a MSF briefing on 
21 May 2008 at the 61st WHA. 

Invitation to MSF Briefing at the 61st WHA- Putting IGWG into action: Harnessing alternative mechanisms to boost R&D for tuberculosis
Please RSVP confirming your attendance to: mai.do@msf.org
For further information, please contact: Mai Do on + 33 1 4021 2825   or 
Clio van Cauter on +41 78 747 2900.

Sincerely yours, 

Mai DO
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
MÃdecins Sans FrontiÃres
Tel: 33 1 4021 2825
Fax: 33 1 4021 2960
E-mail: mai.do@paris.msf.org
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MÃdecins Sans FrontiÃres (MSF) briefing to 61st World Health Assembly 
delegations

Putting IGWG into action:
Harnessing alternative mechanisms to boost R&D for tuberculosis

Wednesday 21 May 2008, 17.30-19.00
Palais des Nations,  Room XI

During the 61st World Health Assembly in May 2008, member states of the 
World Health Organization (WHO) will finalise the progress made by the 
Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and 
Intellectual Property (IGWG). 

Part of the IGWGâs global strategy and plan of action calls for exploring 
and promoting âa range of incentive schemes for research and development 
including addressing, where appropriate, the de-linkage of the costs of 
research and development and the price of health products, for example 
through the award of prizes, with the objective of addressing diseases 
which disproportionately affect developing countries.â

Tuberculosis (TB) is the perfect illustration of the need for new 
diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. While TB kills 1.6 million people every 
year, the most widely used diagnostic technique, developed more than 120 
years ago, detects less than half of all active TB cases.  The 
difficulties, faced by MSF teams and others, posed by the lack of 
reliable, rapid ways to diagnose TB are compounded by the emergence of 
strains of TB resistant to standard treatments, and by the spread of the 
disease among people living with HIV/AIDS. 

With the aim of giving the IGWG strategy a concrete outcome, this briefing 
will explore alternative mechanisms to boost R&D for this disease.   It is 
now time to translate policy proposals into action.

Chair: Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of MSF Access Campaign (5 mn)

       The need for new tools to control TB, by Dr. Mario Raviglione, 
World Health Organization, Stop TB Department (10 mn)

       The challenges to control and treat TB in Swaziland, by Ms 
Nomathemba Dlamini, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Health of 
Swaziland (10 mn) (tbc)

       Inadequacies of current tools to diagnose and treat TB and 
expectations of the current R&D pipelines, by Dr. Cathy Hewison, MSF TB 
advisor (10 mn)

       Prizes as an alternative mechanism to boost R&D for TB: Barbados 
and Boliviaâs proposal to IGWG for a Prize Fund for development of 
low-cost rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis, by Maryam Hinds, 
Director, Barbados Drug Service Ministry of Health (10 mn)

       Discussion