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<DIV><B>From:</B> <A title=twnet@po.jaring.my
href="mailto:twnet@po.jaring.my">Third World Network</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"> </DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoPlainText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">TWN
Info Service on Health Issues (Feb 06/1)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN class=SpellE><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><A
href="http://www.twnside.org.sg">www.twnside.org.sg</A></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">WHO
Board adopts decision on trade and health<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">As
countries rush to conclude bilateral and regional free trade agreements, there
are growing concerns that these trade agreements could adversely affect the
health policies of the developing countries.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Against
this backdrop, the WHO Executive Board has recommended that the next World
Health assembly in <U>May</U> adopt a resolution on trade and health. Member
States are asked to include health ministries in negotiations on trade
agreements and the WHO Secretariat has been tasked to assist in this
process.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">In
another development, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region> reported that the WHO-UNAIDS
“3X5 initiative” to make antiretroviral treatment to 3 million AIDS patients in
the low and middle income countries by the end of 2005 had failed to achieve its
target.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">The
article below highlights the main points of the resolution. It is reproduced
with permission from the South-North Development Monitor (SUNS) # 5953, 27
January 2006.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><FONT face="Courier New" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoPlainText><FONT face="Courier New" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">WHO
Board adopts decision on trade and health<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">By Martin <SPAN class=SpellE>Khor</SPAN> and <SPAN
class=SpellE>Sangeeta</SPAN> <SPAN
class=SpellE>Shashikant</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The WHO Executive Board has adopted a decision to
recommend that the next World Health Assembly adopt a resolution on
international trade and health which urges member states and the WHO secretariat
to take action to make national trade and health policies more coherent,
especially in light of the health implications of international trade
agreements.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The resolution gives a broad mandate to the WHO
secretariat to assist countries to frame coherent trade and health policies and
to understand the implications and challenges that trade agreements may have for
health. The WHO is also asked to support policy coherence between trade and
health at regional and global levels.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The decision was taken on the evening of Wednesday (25
January), without discussion. It is understood that the final document
(EB117.R5) had already been negotiated by some member states prior to its being
introduced and adopted on Wednesday.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A draft of the resolution had been first proposed by a
group of 14 countries, coordinated by <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place>, at the last Executive Board
meeting on 26-27 May last <SPAN class=GramE>year</SPAN>. The other countries
were <st1:country-region w:st="on">Benin</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Bhutan</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Bolivia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Jamaica</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Nepal</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Sudan</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Tonga</st1:country-region> and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The move reflected growing concerns of the developing
countries over the adverse effects of bilateral and regional free trade
agreements on health policies.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In particular, many national health authorities are
increasingly worried that intellectual property provisions in <SPAN
class=SpellE>FTAs</SPAN> that have been concluded or that are being negotiated
would affect access to medicines, as they extend patent protection for
medicines, restrict the grounds for compulsory licenses and establish "data
exclusivity" (protection of clinical trial data), all of which make it difficult
for generic medicines to be supplied.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Some countries have also been concerned about the
implications of the opening up of health services under the WTO services
agreement as well as bilateral <SPAN class=SpellE>FTAs</SPAN>.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A lengthy and sometimes heated debate had taken place at
last May's Board meeting, with proposals made by some developed countries to
water down the original proposal of the developing countries. The Board decided
on 27 May to defer the decision to its next meeting. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The WHO Secretariat prepared a report (EB117/10 dated 1
December 2005) containing the original resolution, together with alternative
language in some parts reflecting some of the amendments proposed at the May
2005 meeting.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">At Wednesday's meeting, a new draft dated 25 January was
adopted. It contains basically the same resolution as the original draft
submitted by <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the adopted decision, the Executive Board recommended
to the 59th World Health Assembly to adopt the resolution. In the resolution,
the WHA recognizes the demand for information about the possible implications of
international trade and trade agreements for health and health policy at
national, regional and global levels.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It is also "mindful of the need for all relevant
ministries, including those of health, trade, commerce, finance and foreign
affairs, to work together constructively in order to ensure that the interests
of trade and health are appropriately balanced and
coordinated."</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Member States are urged:</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(1) <SPAN class=GramE>to</SPAN> promote dialogue at
national level to consider the interplay between international trade and
health;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(2) to adopt, where necessary, policies, laws and
regulations that address issues identified in that dialogue and take advantage
of the potential opportunities, and address the potential challenges, that trade
and trade agreements may have for health;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(3) to apply, or establish, where necessary,
coordination mechanisms involving ministries of finance, health, and trade, and
other relevant institutions, to address public health related aspects of
international trade;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(4) <SPAN class=GramE>to</SPAN> create constructive and
interactive relationships across the public and private sectors for the purpose
of generating coherence in their trade and health policies;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(5) <SPAN class=GramE>to</SPAN> continue to develop
capacity at national level to track and <SPAN class=SpellE>analyse</SPAN> the
potential opportunities and challenges of trade and trade agreements for
health-sector performance and health outcomes.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the resolution, the WHA also requests the WHO
Director-General:</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(1) <SPAN class=GramE>to</SPAN> provide support to
Member States, at their request and in collaboration with the competent
international organizations, in their efforts to frame coherent policies to
address the relationship between trade and health;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(2) to respond to Member States' requests for support of
their efforts to build the capacity to understand the implications of
international trade and trade agreements for health and to address relevant
issues through policies and legislation that take advantage of the potential
opportunities, and address the potential challenges, that trade and trade
agreements may have for health;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(3) to continue collaborating with the competent
international organizations in order to support policy coherence between trade
and health sectors at regional and global levels, including generating and
sharing evidence on the relationship between trade and health;</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(4) <SPAN class=GramE>to</SPAN> report through the
Executive Board to the Sixty-first World Health Assembly on progress made in
implementing this resolution.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The resolution will be on the agenda of the World Health
Assembly which meets in May. Amendments can still be made to it following
discussion of the issue.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A WHO secretariat report on international trade and
health, introduced at the May 2005 Board meeting, had discussed the implications
of trade and trade agreements on health. It mentioned four WTO agreements that
may affect public health that are of particular importance to WHO's work: the
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the agreements on Application
of Sanitary and <SPAN class=SpellE>Phytosanitary</SPAN> Measures (SPS), on
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and on </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=GramE><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
(TRIPS).</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Increasing trade in health services challenges the
capability of ministries of health to assess accurately and respond rapidly to
the risks and opportunities for population health, said the report. There may
also be the potential of increasing openness in the health sector under GATS, in
its four "modes of supply".</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Countries also face challenges in ensuring compliance
with the disciplines of SPS and TBT. This is particularly the case in the areas
of food safety, diagnostic devices and medicines quality, safety and efficacy,
respectively, in which the trade agreement creates
obligations.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The WHO report said that ministries of health "need the
capability, in terms of expertise and access, to provide their colleagues in the
trade and finance ministries with the best evidence on the potential impact of
trade and trade agreements on health outcomes, so that ongoing multilateral,
regional, or bilateral trade negotiations may be properly
informed."</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Another highlight of this week's Board meeting was a
plea by the Brazilian delegation for the WHO and the Executive Board to build
solidarity on the need to achieve universal access to medicines, and to address
the problem of intellectual property in this regard.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Brazil</SPAN></FONT></st1:place></st1:country-region>
made this call during the discussion on HIV/AIDS on Tuesday (24 January). It
said the "3 by 5 initiative" had failed to achieve its target, and it was
important to <SPAN class=SpellE>analyse</SPAN> why.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Before the Board was the WHO report on "HIV/AIDS
Universal access to prevention, care and treatment" (EB 1117/6), which stated
that there were almost 5 million new infections and more than three million
deaths from the disease in 2005.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The report recalled the WHO-UNAIDS "3 by 5" initiative
aimed at expanding access to antiretroviral treatment in low and middle income
countries to 3 million AIDS patients by the end of 2005. Between June 2004 and
June 2005 the number of people receiving treatment rose from 440 000 to about
one million, and the report said the target has been "catalytic at the global
level".</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">However, during the discussion, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>
said the targets of the "3 by 5 initiative" had not been achieved. It was
important to <SPAN class=SpellE>recognise</SPAN> this failure instead of
painting a rosy picture of the situation.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It was necessary to have an in-depth analysis of why the
"3 by 5 initiative" target was not achieved, said <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>.
Either the initiative was overly ambitious, or there was a lack of availability
of drugs or finances, or human resource problems.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">If the lessons of failure of the "3 by 5 initiative" are
not learned, then there will be failure in providing "universal access", said
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It added that the Brazilian Ministry of Health spent
annually $400 million for ARV drugs, with 67% of the sum spent on only 3 drugs
and it is difficult to get major pharmaceutical companies to reduce
prices.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Brazil</SPAN></FONT></st1:country-region></st1:place>
said the WHO and its Members had a choice of either being in <SPAN
class=SpellE>favour</SPAN> of companies or the people. This is an organization
that has to resolve the problems of people, and thus a strong position has to be
taken on intellectual property rights.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It added that AIDS can be contained, but for that to
happen a firm political decision was needed and there had to be a hard look at
intellectual property and its implication on prices.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Brazil</SPAN></FONT></st1:country-region></st1:place>
said it could have produced the drugs needed at lower cost, but there were
problems posed by intellectual property. It also referred to the situation in
<st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> where the per capita income is $200-300
per year, but the costs of treatment is very expensive.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It suggested that the Executive Board has a role to play
and that there needs to be solidarity on this issue. As part of the solution,
the problem of intellectual property had to be addressed, and a political
decision has to be taken to give priority to research into the health problems
of the poor.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>