HIV+ people lead protests against India-EU negotiations on free trade agreement

[Guest guest]

Its time for all of us to get moving.

Every town, every city, every state, every country. DNP+ have been risking

their safety and freedom by speaking up on this over and over again. Its time

to support them. Developed countries are

decreasing funds for the GFATM and trying through free trade agreements to shut

down generic drugs as well. This is the perfect storm for HIV treatment

we must all speak up and act NOW.  

____________________

HIV+ people lead protests against India-EU negotiations on free trade agreement

Thursday, October 07, 2010 08:00 IST

ph , New Delhi

With India and European Union moving into the final stages of framing the Free

Trade Agreement (FTA) and launching the crucial round of negotiations here, a

group of public interest organisations and the activists of Delhi Network of

Positive People (DNP+) stepped up the campaign against the harmful provisions in

the pact.

Scores of activists including those with HIV on Wednesday staged a novel protest

`die in’ before the Udyog Bhavan (ministry of commerce) where India and the EU

representatives launched the negotiations, here.

After the activists blocked the traffic, a few of them including the HIV

positive people were arrested by the police. The protesters also burnt the

effigy of the trade commissioner, as the heavy posse of police had put in heavy

security in the place.

The leaders of the campaign told Pharmabiz that they would further intensify the

campaign against the inclusion of intellectual property provisions in the FTA

and hold protests in the days to come as the many clauses in the FTA adversely

affect the access to medicines especially for those afflicted with HIV.

The negotiations, considered to be crucial, started yesterday and the talks on

IP are expected take place tomorrow. The negotiations are expected to be

concluded by the end of 2010.

Four million people started AIDS treatment between 2003 and 2008, due to largely

India's ability to produce low-cost quality medicines. The EU-India trade and

investment agreement being currently negotiated may further reduce India's vital

role as provider of life-saving treatments,†a spokesperson for DNP+ positive

said.

Already with the introduction of the product patent regime in 2005, Indian

generic companies cannot produce and supply new HIV medicines that will be

needed soon for patients failing second line antiretroviral therapy.

The EU-India FTA if concluded without removing the IP provisions will make it

worse as it intends to prolong patent terms by a number of years. It makes

registration of 'off patent' generic medicines difficult, seeks to undermine the

Indian judiciary's role of protecting patients, and finally tries to legalise

EU's border measures that led to the confiscation of life-saving generic

medicines in transit to developing countries, she said.

The 'Die In' protest was organized to emphasize the grave danger that countless

human lives in developing countries face if the FTA is finalized without

removing the IP provisions,†she added.

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