EATG co-signs letter to CEOs of pharmaceutical companies on the patient pool initiative

The letter was sent to the following companies: Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Roche and ViiV.

15th December 2010

Dear company CEO,

As 2010, the deadline for the achievement of universal access to HIV treatment, draws to a close, ten million people – two-thirds of people in need in the world – are still awaiting life-saving HIV medicines. We are writing as a coalition of NGOs to ask you to accelerate [company]’s efforts to save those lives by licensing your HIV-related patents and data rights to the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), now established as a separate legal entity.

The UNITAID-initiated patent pool has the potential to significantly reduce the price of antiretrovirals, speed the creation of essential new fixed-dose combinations, increase access to newer, more effective treatments and help stimulate production of child-friendly formulations.

Over 80% of those receiving HIV treatment in developing countries receive inexpensive and high-quality first-generation generic drugs, lawfully produced in India. However, the large numbers of patients who are still awaiting treatment highlight that existing solutions do not go far enough. An effective patent pool fostering generic competition is an essential tool in expanding treatment to those in need, and facilitating access to improved second- and third-generation medicines.

[company] has contributed to improving access to antiretrovirals. Therefore, we urge you to respond positively to the recent invitation to formal negotiations with the MPP, and to do all in your power to reach a full agreement with the pool on the terms of a licence for all relevant HIV drug patents and related data rights, as soon as possible. We also urge you to ensure those terms allow access for the millions in need of treatment in all low- and middle-income countries, and for the terms of the agreement to be public.

The patent pool is supported by governments and global organisations. The UK government has recently confirmed its definitive support for the patent pool as an innovative solution to the treatment access challenge. The US government signalled its support with the licensing agreement signed with NIH. The Global Fund, the world’s largest purchaser of antiretrovirals, called on drug companies to share their AIDS drug patents with the pool “without delay". NGOs and our public supporters are joined by governments, the media and patients’ groups across the world in our keen attention to see negotiations swiftly and successfully concluded.

We hope that you will publicly support this innovative initiative. This voluntary solution can only succeed if companies like [company] commit to making it work. A lack of cooperation by companies with the pool will be a clear indicator that a voluntary, collective approach to ensuring access to life saving medicines is not one [company] supports.

As representatives of NGOs and community groups, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss [company]’s position on the pool. We look forward to hearing from you about your positive engagement with the pool.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Esther Tallah, UNITAID Board Member, Communities. Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria.

Mr. Nelson Otwoma, UNITAID Alternate Board Member, Communities. National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. otwomatom@yahoo.com

Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, UNITAID Board Member, NGOs. Oxfam.

Ms. Kim Nichols, UNITAID Alternate Board Member, NGOs. African Services Committee.

Action Medeor E.V. (Germany)

ACTWID – Rural Women and Youth Network of Cameroon

African Services Committee

Alianza LAC Global por el Acceso a Medicamentos

American Medical Student Association

Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria

CITAM+ (Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria), Zambia

CONERELA+ (Congo Network of Religious Leaders living with or affected by HIV and AIDS)

Dhruvh – Social Awareness Forum, India

EMPOWER India

European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)

Farmamundi

Fundacion Mision Salud de Colombia

Global AIDS Alliance

Global Health Advocates

Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS)

Health Access Network - Ghana

Health GAP (Global Access Project), USA

International HIV/AIDS Alliance

Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium

Knowledge Ecology International

Médecins Sans Frontières, Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines

National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda (NACWOLA)

National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya (NEPHAK)

Oxfam

Partners in Health

Positive-Generation, Cameroon

Positive Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group (MTAAG+)

REMED (Réseau Médicaments et Developpement)

Restless Development

Results UK

Stop AIDS Alliance

Stop AIDS Campaign

Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL)

Tearfund

The Good Neighbour (Nigeria)

Treatment Action Campaign

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines

Zambia Association for the Prevention of HIV and Tuberculosis (ZAPHIT)