<br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><span dir="ltr">from:<<a href="mailto:fannie.upham@gmail.com">fannie.upham@gmail.com</a>></span> <br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">remed</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:c.bruneton@remed.org" target="_blank">c.bruneton@remed.org</a>></span><br>
<a href="http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673609621231.pdf" target="_blank">http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673609621231.pdf</a><br><br>also in  <a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/12/09/confidential-documents-released-fr%0Aom-who-rd-finance-group-pharmaceutical-industry/" target="_blank">http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/12/09/confidential-documents-released-fr<br>
om-who-rd-finance-group-pharmaceutical-industry/</a><br><br>and  <a href="http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-patents/make-it-happen-campaign/" target="_blank">http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-patents/make-it-happen-campaign/</a><br>
<br><br><br><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/12/09/confidential-documents-released-fr%0Aom-who-rd-finance-group-pharmaceutical-industry/" target="_blank">http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/12/09/confidential-documents-released-fr<br>
om-who-rd-finance-group-pharmaceutical-industry/</a><br><br><br>E-DRUG: Lancet editorial: Drug development for neglected diseases: pharma's<br>influence<br>---------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>[Last week it was known that confidential documents from the WHO<br>Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and<br>Intellectual Property (IGWG) had leaked to the IFPMA. IFPMA published their<br>comments to the documents, expressing how pleased they were, on their<br>
website. Below is an editorial in this week's Lancet and a piece from<br>Ip-watch which found the documents in Wikileaks. Copied as fair use. KM]<br><br><a href="http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673609621231.pdf" target="_blank">http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673609621231.pdf</a><br>
<br>Drug development for neglected diseases: pharma's influence<br><br>The pharmaceutical industry's latest attempt to sabotage the work of<br>the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation<br>
and Intellectual Property - commonly referred to as IGWG reached a<br>new low last week when the non-governmental  organisation,<br>Intellectual Property Watch, noticed two  privileged IGWG draft<br>documents and an analysis of the  drafts by the International<br>
Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on<br>Wikileaks, a website that anonymously publishes sensitive information.<br>This unfortunate situation is a double blow to the member states,<br>public health advocates, and to non-governmental organisations that<br>
have strived to make research and development for neglected diseases a<br>feasible reality. Not only has the IFPMA blatantly served its own<br>interests by examining and discussing documents that, according to<br>WHO, it was not supposed to have, but also the draft report falls<br>
pathetically short of the strong, decisive plan necessary -ironically,<br>mostly thanks to the influence of the pharmaceutical industry.<br><br>The leaked draft report lists the innovative ideas for drug research<br>and development least likely and most likely to work. Those fighting<br>
to prevent deaths from neglected diseases will be disappointed.<br>Several of the much supported proposals, such as prize funds and an<br>R&D Treaty, have been deemed ineffective. Unsurprisingly, the IFPMA<br>thinks that the draft report is fair to industry's concerns, but appears<br>
wary of UNITAID's<br>proposed patent pool, a drug-purchasing mechanism currently supported<br>by an international campaign.<br><br>The drug industry should no longer be allowed to hold the poor people<br>of the world to ransom. After this latest incident, perhaps it is time<br>
for another global public outcry (just like in 2001 when 39 drug<br>companies took the South African Government to court over its use of<br>generic drugs) to protest at the tactics used by the pharmaceutical<br>industry. History has not yet drawn a line under innovative research<br>
and development for neglected diseases. There is still time to put the<br>health needs of poor people first in upcoming meetings to discuss the<br>draft IGWG proposals. But a bold WHO and UNITAID are essential.<br>Buckling under pressure is not an option.<br>
<br>For more on the leaked documents see <a href="http://www.ip-/" target="_blank">http://www.ip-</a> <a href="http://watch.org/weblog/%0A2009/12/09/" target="_blank">watch.org/weblog/<br>2009/12/09/</a> con?dential-documents- released-from-who-rd-?nance-<br>
group-pharmaceutical-industry/<br><br>For more on the drug industry's influence on the IGWG process see<br>Editorial Lancet 2007; 370: 1666<br><br>For more on the UNITAID patent pool proposal see<br>Editorial Lancet 2009; 374: 266<br>
<br>For more on the patent pool campaign see<br><a href="http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-" target="_blank">http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-</a><br> patents/make-it-happen- campaign/<br><br>Published Online<br>December 15, 2009<br>
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)62123-1<br><br></div>