[e-drug] South collaborates to provide drugs for the poor

[rasheedf@bluewin.ch]

E-drug: South collaborates to provide drugs for the poor
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Partners in Population and Development

The South collaborates to provide drugs for the poor

Developing country health ministers move to improve
the South's access to essential medicines.

7 June 2001, Kochi, India:

Health ministers and high-level officials from
nineteen developing countries, NGOs, pharmaceutical
companies and international agencies are to meet in
Kochi, India, next week to discuss alternative means
to provide the world's poorest with essential drugs
they need and cannot afford.

The four-day meeting, which has been organized by
Partners in Population and Development (Partners) and
the Government of India, is the first meeting of
developing countries dedicated to resolving the crisis
in essential health commodity security.  Under
examination will be barriers preventing access to
medicines most needed by people living in poverty,
such as antibiotics, DOTS and malaria treatments,
contraceptives including female controlled methods and
HIV/AIDS anti-retrovirals.

Dr Ismail Sallam, Egypt's Minister of Health &
Population and the current Chair of the Partners
Board, explained the need for the South to take the
initiative.  "With the exception of AIDS, there have
been few advances in solutions for malaria, TB and
other health conditions that disproportionately affect
the developing world.  Although these conditions can
be prevented at a relatively small cost, the prices of
most commodities remain at unaffordable levels."

"In many cases, developing countries have the
necessary experience to deal with these health
conditions, including expertise in commodity
development", he said.  "If we work together, pooling
our knowledge and our resources, we will be more
capable of addressing this issue independently."

India, a leading exporter of low-cost, generic
pharmaceuticals, has also urged the South to become
more self-sufficient.  "The collaboration of
developing countries - South-to-South interaction -
will allow us to procure quality, affordable
commodities and contraceptives for our reproductive
health programs", said Dr C P Thakur, India's Minister
of Health & Family Welfare.  "It's clear that our
common interest, and common future, lie in such
cooperation."


- 2 -

Partners is an alliance of sixteen developing
countries, each committed to improving reproductive
and sexual health through South-to-South
collaboration.  Collectively, the member countries of
Partners are home to more than half of the world's
population, including many of the world's poorest.

The origin of the Kochi meeting goes back to last
November.  At the time, during a Partners' board
meeting in Beijing, member countries called on all
developing countries to act.

"[We] note those aspects of international trade
agreements, WTO limitations and TRIPS restrictions
which may adversely affect developing countries'
access to essential drugs and commodities for
reproductive health", notes the declaration from the
Beijing meeting.  "Countries of the South are called
on to protect their ... capacity to provide essential
drugs and commodities at the lowest possible cost.
This ... includes rights to parallel importation,
compulsory licensing and local manufacture of
essential drugs and commodities."

A broad range of participants will attend Kochi, which
will take place from 12-15 June 2001.  These include
ministerial-level policy makers, NGOs, private sector
representatives, international health experts, aid
donors and activists.  The meeting will explore
various means to increase access to essential
commodities, including expanding supply, improving the
quality assurance systems of developing country
manufacturers, regulatory systems, licensing barriers
and commodity management issues, such as logistics and
procurement.

Further information is available at Partners' web
site: www.south-south.org

__________
Editor's note:  What is Partners?

Partners in Population and Development is an
inter-governmental alliance of sixteen developing
countries, created to improve and accelerate the
transfer of knowledge, expertise and skills in the
fields of population and development through
South-to-South collaboration.

Partners is currently comprised of the following
members:  Bangladesh, China, Colombia, Egypt, The
Gambia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mexico,
Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda and
Zimbabwe.

In September 1994 at the Cairo International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD),
governments reached a consensus and committed
themselves to a Programme of Action, which places
reproductive health and rights at the center of the
population and development agenda.

For more information, contact:
Partners in Population and Development
Phone:	(880-2) 988-1882/3, 882-9475
Fax:	(880-2) 882-9387
Email:	partners@ppdsec.org
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Fawzia Rasheed, Policy Advisor, Partners in Population
and Development. rasheedf@bluewin.ch

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