'08 STOP AIDS Platform

Open Letter
to Miles White, Abbott CEO

"We, the undersigned, are disappointed and outraged by Abbott’s  decision to stop marketing new medicines in Thailand and to withdraw all applications  to register medicines in the country..."

Read the letter and sign on!

NGOs respond to draft
World Bank Health Strategy

Novartis

India's ability to manufacture low cost generic versions of newer medicines will be threatened if Novartis wins a lawsuit seeking to overturn India's ban on a patent application of the drug Gleevec.

Read more...

Campaign

• We urge the President of the United States and Members of Congress to lead a global health workforce initiative in AIDS ravaged countries.
  

Consensus Statement and Fact Sheets

Behind Harper's Folly:
Farber, Hodge and the Denialist Deception

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

• NOVEMBER PEPFAR WATCH BRIEFING SERIES: Issue papers address topics, related concerns and recommendations. PEPFAR WATCH is a joint project of Health GAP and Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE):
• Supply Chain Management System (SCMS)
• AIDS Drugs procurement policies
• Sex worker policies and restrictions

• RELEASE THE CONDOMS, FUND EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES, SAVE LIVES NOW! Community letter from individuals and organizations in and outside of Uganda demanding action on part of the Ugandan government to support comprehensive prevention programs, end abstinence-only programs, and immediately take steps to distribute quality assured condoms in public facilities. Send a letter to MOH Jim Muhwezi

• August 30, 2005 Experts and activists speak out against 10 month long condom shortage in Uganda and the role of the Bush administration in deriding the use and promotion of condoms to prevent HIV. CHANGE and Health GAP release fact sheets and timelines regarding the Uganda condom crisis and US policies supporting abstinence-only programs through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
  • Read advisory, speakers
  • Read Transcript | Download doc

• ACTION ALERT : Tell the Ugandan Government to Stop the Attack on Condoms. Take action to stand in solidarity with Ugandan activists and demand the release of millions of condoms by the government of Uganda. Send letter to Uganda Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs

• August 30, 2005 (Manhattan) A coalition of AIDS activists held a demonstration in midtown Manhattan outside of the Ugandan Permanent Mission to the United Nations today to bring attention to that nation's severe condom shortage which is putting people at dangerous risk of HIV infection. The crisis has developed over the past ten months as the government of Uganda has stopped its robust program of public sector condom distribution. These condoms previously accounted for 80% of condoms available in the country.
  • Press Release | PDF
  • View photos
  • Letter delivered to the Uganda Mission to the UN | download doc

• August 11, 2005 Letter from Health GAP, CHANGE, TAC, GMHC, Advocates for Youth, and CHAMP, calling upon Peter Piot to mobilize mass-awareness of the Ugandan condom crisis and its implications, and to urgently mobilize resources as necessary to get quality-assured condoms available to the public as well as to rebuild national trust in the Engabu brand and/or quality assured condoms distributed by the government. Read Letter | Download Word doc

• CHANGE press statement
• Fact Sheet: download doc | PDF
• Timeline: download doc | PDF
• Press clippings: read | download doc

• May 17, 2005 (Geneva) Health GAP warns the new U.S. policy requiring funding to recipients to sign a "loyalty oath" against sex workers threathens the independence of the Global Fund as well as HIV prevention best practices. Health GAP Press Release | Civil Society Letter to Bush calling for repeal of funding restrictions | Health GAP questions for US officials | Download Word doc

• January 26, 2005 (New York) The announcement that Aspen Pharmacare of South Africa has received approval for co-packaged Lamivudine/Zidovudine and Nevirapine through the FDA fast-track marketing approval process represents a glimmer of progress in what still remains an unnecessary, duplicative, costly, delayed, and ultimately flawed U.S. review process.
  • Aspen's FDA Approval Weak Evidence of the Effectiveness of the FDA Expedited Approval Process Statement | Download Word doc
  • Statement of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN), , comprised of Christian Health Associations and hospitals, non-profit drug supply organisations and church related development agencies, from 22 countries, on the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Press Statment| Download Word doc
• For more information on PEPFAR policies: Go to campaign page>>>

BRAZIL AND THE CRISIS OF SECOND-GENERATION ARV PRICES

On March 15 2005, Brazil announced its intent to issue compulsory licenses for four high-priced, patented AIDS medicines if drug companies did not negotiate voluntary licensing agreements. Currently 70% of the budget of the Aids National Programme's for ARVs is spent on the purchase of four patented drugs, Abbott's Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Gilead's Tenofovir, Merck's Efavirenz and Boeringer Ingleheim's Nelfinavir. Brazilian public and private companies are only producing 7 out of 16 drugs that are used in the tri-therapy while there is capacity to produce all of the needed medicines.

• July 15, 2005 Health GAP letter to the Secretary of State of Brazil regarding the country the need for an issuance of a compulsory license for production of generic lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra) as well as other medicines whose high prices are threatening the sustainability of the Brazilian National AIDS Program. Download pdf of letter

• JUNE 24, 2005 Health GAP statement on Brazil's authorization of a compulsory license of Kaletra, putting the government one step toward's breaking the Abbot's patent monopoly. Press release | Download Word doc

• May 13, 2005 (Manhattan and Washington, DC) AIDS activists from Health GAP, Student Global AIDS Campaign, ACT UP New York, and Global AIDS Alliance urge Brazil to issue compulsory licenses on expensive patented antiretrovirals. Protestors deliver "spine" and memorandum to Brazil Mission to the UN in New York and to Embassy in Washington, DC. Press Release | Download press release | Civil society memorandum to the government of Brazil: Word | download Portugese

• July 14, 2005 Timeline of events and leading news accounts regarding Brazil's crisis with prices of second line ARV drugs. Download timeline (.doc)

• September 19, 2005 "India's 2005 Patent Act: Death by Patent or Universal Access to Second- and Future-Generation AIDS Medications," by Brook Baker. Background Paper

• ACTION ALERT FOR MARCH 2005: Fax and Email Indian Government & Urge It Preserve Access to Generic AIDS Medicines. India Could Cut-off Africa's Access to Affordable AIDS Drugs; Indian Parliament May Begin Considering the Issue March 9. Go to Action Alert

• February 1, 2005 Health GAP fact sheet addresses the lies and myths on the "The Impact of India's Amended Patents Act on Access to Affordable HIV Treatment":
  • Myth: "The fear that prices of medicines will spiral is unfounded....We must realize the fact that 97% of all drugs manufactured in India are off-patent, and so will remain unaffected."
  • Myth: India's Patents Act amendments are an unavoidable consequence of India's obligations to protect product patents on medicines.
  • Myth: Patent protection in will stimulate investment into R&D that will benefit Indian consumers and will reward India with increased foreign investment.
  Download Fact Sheet

• January 13, 2005 (Mumbai, India) Health GAP, the Affordable Medicines and Treatment Campaign (AMTC) based in India, and a coalition of international activists hold a press conference to call on the Indian Government to repeal the patent law that introduced product patent protection on medicines through an Ordinance. One of the activists stated: "India should be proud to be producing and exporting cheap, generic AIDS drugs for people in need. The changes to the patent law will increase the price of new drugs, as well as some AIDS medicines that are already produced and exported in generic form..." Press Release

• December 12-15, 2004 India is in the process of amending its national patent law (the Patents Act) to come into compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules by January 1 2005. According to Health GAP, India is considering changes to its Patents Act that will block regular production of affordable generic versions of drugs to treat HIV, cancer, and other public health problems.
  • Health GAP and Médecins Sans Frontières host a teleconference for journalists: "Poor Countries' Source of Affordable Indian Generic AIDS Drugs to Disappear--Rising Drug Prices in India will Undermine HIV Treatment Scale-Up Efforts," December 15, 2004. Teleconference transcript: Read transcript online | Download Word | Download PDF | Press Advisory.
  • Health GAP Fact Sheet: Changes to India's Patents Act and Access to Affordable Generic Medicines after January 1, 2005. Download Fact Sheet: PDF file | Word doc
  • International sign-on letter of concern to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India regarding the government's proposed amendments to the Patents Act and undermining medicines access for people in need—in India and around the world, December 16, 2004. PDF file
  • On Monday Dec. 13, 1:00 PM, Activists demonstrate at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. Health GAP Press Release and Demo photos .
Go to campaign page>>>

LATEST HEALTH GAP STATEMENTS AND PAPERS

• September 2, 2005 (Manhattan) Health GAP and Physicians for Human Rights press UN members not to concede to US proposals to gut the World Summit Document. Call for stregthening language and commitments towards health care systems support and health worker scale-up needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Press release | Download Word doc

• July 8, 2005 Health GAP and Physicians for Human Rights release financial targets and interventions needed to scale-up health care workforces in Africa to meet MDGs and the target of universal HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010. The groups are calling for a global investment of US $2 billion in 2006, rising to $7.7 billion in 2010 by all donors, and have calculated the U.S. share as being one-third of the sum needed, or $650 million for 2006, rising to $2.6 billion in 2010. US spending could focus on countries funded under the PresidentÕs Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The figures were calculated by a group that included Lincoln C. Chen, MD, MPH, the Director of the Harvard University Global Equity Initiative and co-chair for coordination of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI). Press release | Download PDF

• July, 2005 Ahead of the G8 Summit, Health GAP and Physicians for Human Rights release release international letter calling for G8 commitments towards supporting builing up of healthcare workforce in Africa. Download letter to G8 (PDF)

• June 30, 2005 Ahead of the G8 Summit United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for efforts to build affordable and efficient health systems in the developing world, particularly in Africa, which will require 1 million new health workers to meet internationally agreed meet the Millennium Development Goals for the 21st century. Health GAP press statement

LATEST HEALTH GAP STATEMENTS AND PAPERS

• September 6, 2005 (London) Final pledges of money to the replenishment of the Global Fund for HIV, TB and Malaria fall drastically short of what was needed. The $3.7 billion pledged by donors is enough to sustain current programs. However, no funding for new prevention, treatment or care programmes for 2006 and 2007 was forthcoming. The disappointing U.S. pledge today of $600 over 2006 and 2007 is far less than the U.S. commitment to funding one-third of the Global Fund's needs of $7.1 billion over the two years. Press Release

June 29, 2005 Will the G8 Learn the Lessons of 3 by 5, or Announce More Empty Promises? Health GAP released the following reaction to WHO's 'Report on Progress on Global Access to Antiretroviral Therapy, an Update on 3 by 5' (the full report is available at www.who.int/3by5). Health GAP Press statement

• April 20, 2005 (Geneva) Health GAP delivers letter to Board Members of the Global Fund the Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Secretariat to Fix the Global Fund Now and address the ongoing crisis of delays in implementation of Global Fund financed HIV treatment programs. Download PDF

• March 15, 2005 (Washington) Coalition of activist groups hold demonstrations at embassies of Japan, France, and Germany to demand 100% debt cancellation and funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. Memorandum for G7 heads of state | Read press release | Download press release | Press advisory

• March 8, 2005 (Manhattan) Health GAP responds to UNAIDS shrinking its projections of resource needs for global AIDS by 2007 under pressure from donor countries. Health GAP Press Release

HEALTH GAP STATEMENTS AND PAPERS

• March 15, 2005 (Washington) Coalition of activist groups hold demonstrations at embassies of Japan, France, and Germany to demand 100% debt cancellation and funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. Memorandum for G7 heads of state | Read press release | Download press release | Press advisory

STATEMENTS AND PAPERS

June 29, 2005 Will the G8 Learn the Lessons of 3 by 5, or Announce More Empty Promises? Health GAP released the following reaction to WHO's 'Report on Progress on Global Access to Antiretroviral Therapy, an Update on 3 by 5' (the full report is available at www.who.int/3by5). Health GAP Press statement

• June 1, 2005 (Manhattan) UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS Becoming a Declaration of Betrayal; G7 Donors Must Act to Increase AIDS Funding and Treatment Access. At the opening of a high-level UN meeting on progress in implementation of the four-year-old "Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS," AIDS activists warned that countries are breaking their promises to scale up the response to global AIDS, and are not doing their part to meet the critical challenge laid out by the World Health Organization to ensure treatment access for 3 million people in developing countries by 2005. press advisory | Download Word doc | Health GAP press statement on the state of 3x5 and UNGASS

• April 25, 2005 "The Global Fund's Laissez-Faire Granting System is Delivering Planned Failure" by Brook Baker. Background Paper | Download Word doc

• April 20, 2005 (Geneva) Health GAP delivers letter to Board Members of the Global Fund the Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Secretariat to Fix the Global Fund Now and address the ongoing crisis of delays in implementation of Global Fund financed HIV treatment programs. Download PDF

• January 26, 2005 (New York) At a joint press conference at the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos, WHO reported progress in the goal of reaching 3 million HIV positive people with combination anti-HIV treatment by the end of 2005, called "3 by 5". WHO was joined by UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the U.S. bilateral AIDS program (PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).
  • Health GAP Reaction to WHO HIV Treatment Progress Report Press Release
  • G7 Inaction on Debt, Funding Harms Universal Access Press Release ">Press Release
  • Downlaod the "3 by 5" Progress report, December 2004 PDF

STATEMENTS AND PAPERS

• An Analysis and Response to WTO Action Regarding Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, by Brook Baker for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project, Task Force 5: Infectious Diseases and Access to Essential Medicines, Sub-Group Access to Essential Medicines, January, 27, 2005. Issue Paper | Download Word doc

• July 18, 2005 Imminent CAFTA Vote: Will Poor Nations Be Cut Off From Access To AIDS and Other Medicines? Conference with experts on issue of CAFTA choking the life out of access to treatment in Central America Media Advisory | Download transcript