PHA-Exch> S Korea: Sign-On Letter : Roche- Stop Killing and Give Us 'Fuzeon'!

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: KangAra <naengee at hotmail.com>

Call-to-Action : Urge Roche to Supply Fuzeon for Patients

On July 3rd, Mr. Urs Flueckiger, President of Roche Korea said in a two-hour
meeting with HIV activists and NGOs that the price for Fuzeon was "not
negotiable". Fuzeon is an essential drug for HIV-positive people who have
tried other anti-HIV drugs in the past and are unable to keep their viral
loads undetectable using drugs that are currently available. The Korean
Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs listed Fuzeon at a price of
$18,000 a year in 2004. However the Swiss drug giant Roche claimed $ 22,000
and has withheld the supply of this life saving drug in South Korea.

  A marketing director of Roche Korea said in the news interview that Roche
has not supplied Fuzeon to developing countries including South Korea,
because they have no ability to pay for the drug. That is to say, Fuzeon
will not be supplied for the countries who do not have enough money to pay
for. In the meeting, Mr. Urs said 'we do not do business for saving lives,
but for making money. Saving lives is none of our business'.

  Roche argues that the demand for $22,000 is not excessive one because
South Korea has the National Healthcare Insurance System and is
classified as a high-income country by the World Bank. However, it should be
noted that the national healthcare system is currently under threat
from multinational
drug companies. Aggressive drug pricing policy by pharmaceutical companies
is threatening not only developing countries but developed countries.

  Most developed countries have national healthcare systems, but now they
are shrinking due to the influence of multinational drug companies and FTAs.
For instance, the Korea-U.S. FTA makes it very difficult to issue
'compulsory licensing' which enables people to control drugs and undermines
people's access to medicines by introducing various measures to strengthen
patent and intellectual property protections on medicines. In this way, the
national healthcare system, even in the developed countries, is rapidly
changing and the burden of expensive prices now affects the people.

  Big pharmaceutical companies often argue that the problem of 'access to
medicine' can be solved by charity to developing countries. However, the
exact point is not 'access to medicines for the poor', but 'access to
medicines for all'. In addition, it should be emphasized that the people's
struggle to access 3rd line AIDS therapy is also very important. We believe
that any patient has a right to access the most suitable and affordable
medicines.

  We believe that our struggle is your struggle and can be extended to the
campaign against the aggressive drug pricing policy of big pharmaceutical
companies across the world.

  Therefore, we are calling upon you to send signatures to urge Roche to
desist from jeopardizing the lives of HIV patients. If you would like to
sign on, please send your organization's name or your name and city/state
where you live or work to <naengee at hotmail.com>. The deadline for sign-on is
September 11, 2008.

  Thank you for your solidarity.

  Korea HIV/AIDS Network of Solidarity

[18 other organizations signed this letter]
Ara Kang
Director of the Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society
Website : http://www.pharmacist.or.kr
E-mail : naengee at hotmail.com
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