Re: International AIDS Activists meeting with generic Pharmas in Mumbai

[Guest guest]

Dear Moderator,

Could you please send me more information on the ITPS Mumbai meeting

with the generic Pharam. Do you have any contact information for the

organisers?

Thank you

Jayashree

E-mail: <jsree.t@...>

_______________________

Dear Jayashree and others,

The US based The International Treatment Preparedness Summit/

Coalition. (ITPS) representatives are meeting with Indian generic

ARV producers in Mumbai on January 10th and 11th 2005. They call this

meeting as World Community Advisory Board (WCAB) meeting.

Last year they had a similar meeting with the Pharma industry in San

Francisco

The Mumbai meeting is being coordinated by the " HIV I-Base " a London

based HIV AIDS activists group (Contact Ben

<bencollins@...>) from HIV I base from London for further

details. The international coordinator of ITPS is Gregg

(E-mail: <greggg@...>

If you are interested to follow the discussion on the Mumbai WCAB

meeting log on to the discussion forum of International Treatment

Preparedness Summit (ITPS)

internationaltreatmentpreparedness/

Looking at the draft agenda of the meeting, it appears that there is

very limited discussion is being taking place to develop local

perspectives on access to ARV. Hope you may be able to contribute to the on

going dialoge.

Take care

Joe

E-mail: <joe_thomas123@...>

[Guest guest]

What is the World Community Advisory Boards (WCAB)?

During the past year and a half, people living with HIV/AIDS and

their advocates from around the world have begun working together in

a coordinated fashion to advance treatment literacy and advocacy

efforts and influence policies by the institutions that affect their

lives, whether these are national governments, international

agencies, drug companies, foundations, NGOs, etc.

Many of us began working together following the first International

Treatment Preparedness Summit, held in Cape Town in March 2003.

Subsequently, this ad-hoc group has now formed the International

Treatment Preparedness (ITP) Coalition (which now represents over

250 active members from over 100 countries). Since the meeting in

Cape Town our activities have included: the first-ever meeting

between PWAs and their advocates from around the world and the

Director General of WHO and the Executive Director of the Global

Fund; a campaign to get methadone on the WHO's Essential Drugs List;

a campaign to address the high prices of AIDS drugs in middle income

countries; an upcoming meeting between activists and the President

of the World Bank and Managing Director of the International

Monetary Fund to discuss health care spending ceilings in developing

countries; worldwide solidarity actions to protest the killing of

drug users in Thailand, the arrest of AIDS activists in Russia, and

the slow pace of scale-up of AIDS care in South Africa.

In Western Europe and North America, community advisory boards

(CABs) have long been an important vehicle for representing the

needs of PWAs to multinational pharmaceutical companies, researchers

and government regulators. In February 2004, for the first time,

the ITP Coalition convened a World CAB to enable PWAs from the

developing world to voice their concerns about drug pricing and

research practices in their regions to senior executives of the

multinational pharmaceutical industry. Twenty-seven people from 21

countries met with officials responsible for global marketing and

pricing policies at Roche, GlaxoKline and Boehringer Ingelheim.

The meeting took place over three days and the participants

discussed issues first as a group and then with each of the

companies separately. The meeting was organised by HIV i-Base in

London with the assistance of other PWAs and treatment advocates.

Outcomes of our first meeting included the broad distribution of a

24 page report (available upon request) to the major agencies

including WHO and UNAIDS, the pharmaceutical companies, ethical

investors, the HIV community, and at the World AIDS Conference in

Bangkok.

The meeting also helped to encourage dialogue between advocates in

the developing world and Eastern Europe/Central Asia and their local

company representatives.

Although discussion between the HIV community and the multinationals

is critical and will continue to be so, important discussions must

be had with generic manufacturers who are now able to produce pre-

qualified antiretrovirals - including fixed-dose combinations -

endorsed by the World Health Organization that permit more

affordable (and sometimes simpler) HIV treatment. Therefore, our

second World CAB will be with representatives from the major generic

companies.

Therefore we will be convening a meeting in January in Mumbai

between 25-30 AIDS treatment activists from around the world and

Cipla, Hetero, Ranbaxy, and Strides Arcolab, in which we would like

to discuss pricing, research and development, clinical trials, co-

formulations, paediatric formulation, registration and WHO

prequalification among other issues.

In order to meet with four companies, the meetings will be broken up

with a half-day with each company over two days and additionally we

will have one day internal meeting. We hope this meeting will

establish a dialogue between representatives of the HIV community

and the generic producers and help to educate PWAs and their

communities on the issues surrounding generic drugs to treat

HIV/AIDS. As with the first WorldCAB , a report will be produced

and distributed around the globe to all relevant stakeholders.

Polly Clayden,

HIV i-Base

London

www.i-base.org.uk

E-mail: <bencollins@...>