Consumers International, HAI, MSF, OXFAM
Statement by Consumers International, Health Action International, MSF and Oxfam urging the EB to examine issues related to access to medicines.
We would like to thank you for this opportunity to address the WHO Executive Board to highlight issues related to WHO's medicines policy and in particular WHO's work on increasing access to essential medicines in developing countries.
Next steps for the Model List of Essential Drugs (EDL) The EDL is one of the most important public health tools. Essential drugs are those that satisfy the health care needs of the majority of the population; they should therefore be available at all times in adequate amounts and in the appropriate dosage forms, and at a price that individuals and their communities can afford. The essential drugs concept guides countries as well as non- governmental organisations (NGOs) in selection of drugs, decisions about procurement and pricing policies, and rational drug use.
We welcome the revised procedure for updating WHO's Model List of Essential Drugs as outlined in document EB109/8. The procedure ensures an independent, transparent, and evidence- based process for revising the EDL. We would like to stress the need to ensure the independence of the Expert Committee that is entrusted with the technical work to draw up the EDL. We particularly welcome the fact that expensive essential drugs will no longer be excluded from the list solely because of price.
However, the expansion of the EDL should go hand-in-hand with measures to ensure that these medicines become affordable for the individuals and communities who need them most.
Equity pricing WHO should actively support strategies that lead to equity pricing of essential medicines. An equity pricing system should include measures to increase generic competition, differential pricing, global/regional procurement and distribution, local production through compulsory or voluntary licensing, and technology transfer.
We would like to warn against unwarranted optimism with regard to the multinational pharmaceutical industry's willingness to bring drug prices down. Equity pricing will not be achieved by relying only on voluntary actions by pharmaceutical companies.
Obtaining up-to-date pricing information is difficult, and negotiating drug prices with different companies for individual products is time- consuming. WHO should support the dissemination of drug pricing information and provide developing countries with support for across-the-board price negotiations.
MSF will continue to work with the WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF on providing information on drug prices which is available on the UNAIDS Web-site.
NGOs welcome the collaboration within the NGO Roundtable process on development of price monitoring methodology coordinated by WHO and HAI.
Pre-qualification of low cost medicines Lower priced versions of new medicines, such as antiretrovirals, are becoming available on the markets of developing countries, and it is paramount to assist countries in assuring the quality of these products. WHO 's work in pre-qualifying medicines needs to be supported and expanded. This is particularly important with respect to procurement activities related to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meeting made it unambiguously clear that the protection of public health deserves special treatment in trade regulation. The Doha declaration on TRIPS and Public Health lays out the options countries have to take measures when prices of existing patented drugs are too high for their populations. This year, WHO must, together with other relevant international organisations, provide practical technical assistance to make sure that the Doha declaration makes a difference at the national level. WHO should play an active role at the TRIPS Council to ensure that countries without production capacity can procure low-cost medicines elsewhere, and should provide countries with examples or models of intellectual property legislation. We offer to work with WHO to make this a reality.
Gap in research and development It is the international community's responsibility to address the lack of research and development for neglected diseases, such as leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness and Chagas' disease, affecting populations with no purchasing power and no vocal advocacy groups. Market forces will not stimulate R&D for neglected diseases. Public/private partnerships alone will not offer solutions because there is no market incentive. Radical new approaches are needed to kick-start R&D for neglected diseases, including new funding mechanisms in areas that are now totally abandoned and not-for-profit drug development initiatives. WHO clearly must play a major role, along with governments and donor countries, in setting an essential R&D agenda and stimulating R&D.
We reiterate our commitment to working with you on these issues and thank you for your attention.