The Third World aid group Oxfam has accused the pharmaceutical industry of waging an undeclared drugs war against the world's poorest countries.
In two reports published today Oxfam says international patenting conventions prevent poor countries from producing generic versions of life-saving drugs up to 15 times cheaper than then versions produced in developed countries.
|
According to Mr Michael O'Brien, who today launched Oxfam's Irish "Cut the Cost" campaign, over 11 million people die annually from preventable diseases because they cannot afford necessary drugs at their present market price.
In the 1994 World Trade Organisation (WTO) Uruguay agreements, he told ireland.com, drug patents were protected under threat of trade sanctions and by 2006 every country in the world - including Third World countries - will be obliged to be patent-compliant.
"The problem is that many of these countries can produce copies of life-saving drugs at a percentage of the cost in the developed world and distribute them to local populations quite easily," Mr O'Brien said.
"However, there are five major drug consortiums who have a great deal of influence on the WTO, which is in turn preventing poorer countries from producing generic copies through rigid patent agreements."
In the case of fluconzole, a drug used in the treatment of AIDs-related meningitis, he says the current cost of treatment is $3000 per annum whereas a generic version has been produced in Thailand for $104.
Other drugs for the treatment of malaria, lethal gastric ailments, AIDS and other opportunistic infections have also been put beyond the reach of poorer countries
"The consistent theme in each of these cases is an attempt to create corporate monopolies and restrict the market competition needed to make medicines affordable to the poor," said Oxfam director of policy Mr Justin Forsyth.
He added: "The balance has skewed too far towards coporate wealth rather than public health."