Social justice news
April 2004

Church leaders press Prez and Congress on global poverty promises to keep
New guide helps consumers make wise buys
'Environmental refugees' demand response to climate change
UK Catholic aid group condemn U.S. attempt to block cheap HIV/AIDS treatment
UN Envoy warns of Sudan ethnic cleansing
World Court slams U.S. death penalty procedures

UK Catholic aid group condemn U.S. attempt
to block cheap HIV/AIDS treatment
Great Britain's Catholic Agency for Overseas Development says attempts by the United States government to force developing countries to use more expensive U.S.-approved AIDS drugs in return for aid are "totally unacceptable." At a conference in Southern Africa in late March, CAFOD charged that U.S. government officials were trying to discredit cheaper generic drugs and block their use while promoting U.S. approved and produced drugs, which cost over four times the price of the generics.

The head of CAFOD’s HIV Support Section, Monica Dolan said: "The Bush administration is deliberately putting up barriers to developing countries access to AIDS treatment. "It's vital that countries have access to the most affordable and effective medicines available to fight the growing pandemic, however, the only ones to benefit from this move will be the U.S. drug companies."

The Bush administration currently supports studying whether generic anti-HIV drugs are safe and effective for use in developing countries and, in the interim, using the more expensive brand-name treatments until the studies are complete.

CAFOD, and 200 other organisations from around the world, have denounced the move in a letter to U.S. Global AIDS coordinator Ambassador Randall Tobias. It condemns the U.S. for trying to discredit the single pill AIDS treatment, know as Fixed-Dose Combination, (FDC)—which is available from as little as $144 per person per year. This form of treatment is recommended in World Heath Organisation (WHO) guidelines and several generic FDCs have met WHO's stringent international standards for drug quality, safety, and efficacy.

The same treatment from brand-name companies costs a minimum of $570 per person per year and must be taken in the less convenient form of six pills a day.

Dolan said: "This puts extra burden on those taking the pills and more importantly, money used to treat one person using brand named drugs could have treated four.

In a related development, U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) on March 26 sent a letter to President Bush urging him to allow U.S. international AIDS funds to be spent on these generic anti-HIV medications that cost a fraction of their brand-name counterparts. Kennedy and McCain urge the immediate use of the cheaper drugs so that HIV treatment programs can reach as many people as possible. They also say the studies Bush has requested are unnecessary, given that the World Health Organization has already found the medications to be safe and effective and has "pre-qualified" them for use in international AIDS treatment initiatives.

"We are very concerned that this historic opportunity could be lost if we fail to take action to provide safe, effective, and affordable medications to the greatest number of people," the senators wrote. "The tremendous possibilities within our grasp of providing antiretroviral drugs to those in need necessitates the use of the most economical and effective drugs, and therefore, safe generic medicines must be part of any effort to aid those in the developing world. We are very concerned over actions taken by your administration to prohibit recipients of federal funds from purchasing generic medications—medications which would allow for treatment to the largest number of people and, in turn, help to save the greatest number of lives. We strongly urge you to reconsider this policy."

"Despite the ambitious goals of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief and promises of $15 billion for AIDS treatment," said CAFOD's Dolan, "only 300,000 of the six million people in the world’s poorest nations are getting the drugs. This latest move by the U.S. will only add to the crisis.

"We want the U.S. government to accept the WHO's internationally recognised drug quality standards and promote access to affordable medications."

For further information, contact dwainwright@cafod.org.uk.

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