Paris, March, 25, 2000

More than one month ago, the pharmaceutical company Pharmacia & Upjohn stopped manufacturing Rifabutine. Today, the global market isnąt supplied anymore and the French drugstores - hospital or city dispensaries - are out of stock.

Rifabutine (Ansatipine) is an essential treatment for a lot of HIV+ patients, especially for those in therapeutical failure (8,000 in France, 50,000 in Europe). This is for two reasons :

- There is no other curative treatment for people suffering from multi-resistant tuberculosis (WHO has, besides, given a world-wide alert after recording the alarming spread of this type of tuberculosis).

- For preventive or curative MAC infections (Mycobacterium Avium Complex), the other available molecules show strong interaction with some antiproteases.

In France, the AFSSAPS (the French FDA) has implemented a permit to market for a " second rifabutine " in compassionate care : an equivalent molecule made up of slightly different components (which would settle the raw material supply problem met by the company). Yet, Pharmacia & Upjohn is incapable of ensuring the reserve stock. The company contents itself with promising without any proof that it will start manufacturing rifabutine again from September 2000. Those manufacturing problems, which endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients all over the world, are the consequence of an increasing lack of interest from this company in pathologies linked to HIV, and of a policy aiming at reducing the number of manufactures so as to optimise ever more productivity.  Indeed, only one site manufactured Rifabutine when three must be operational (this is a strict requirement to obtain a permit to market a drug in France). According to the terms and conditions of their permit, Pharmacia & Upjohn is outlaw.

The authorities must sue Pharmacia & Upjohn.

- Act Up-Paris requires the French government enforce the Article L.613-16 of the French Intellectual Property Code, allowing it to use the patent of a drug belonging to a company when the price of the product is abnormally high or in case of insufficient supply.

- The government must allow other companies to use the patent and produce a generic version of Rifabutine.

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