[Tlc] T-NGO forum

[justinm at ucr.edu]

FYI. Forwarded from Dr. Majorie Muecke.
Best,
justin

www.prachatai.com <http://www.prachatai.com/>

*NGO Forum Invitation*

*Is Compulsory Licensing the Solution to Patients' Access to
Treatment?*

Northern Thai NGOs Speak Out

*Chiang Mai* ? Civil society organizations, in particular
HIV/AIDS NGOs
in Northern Thailand, will convene a Forum on May 29 to share
views and
adopt a common position on compulsory licensing.

The Forum comes in the wake of the Thai government?s recent
decision to
issue compulsory licences on drugs to treat HIV (i.e. Kaletra, and
efavirenz) and heart disease (i.e. Plavix). Compulsory
licences are
legal documents entitling a country to manufacture or import
generic
copies of drugs considered essential to human health.

The decision received worldwide support from civil society
organizations
involved in HIV/AIDS work, but was heavily criticized by the US
government and pharmaceutical companies.

Thai civil society organisations, led by people living with
HIV, have
over the years campaigned for the introduction of compulsory
licensing
of HIV drugs in order to reduce the cost of antiretroviral
treatment in
Thailand.

Since October 2003, the Thai government has had a policy of
universal
coverage for antiretroviral treatment; patients receive their
drugs free
of charge.

Thailand has over 500,000 people living with HIV, and 80,000
are already
receiving antiretroviral treatment, i.e., a generic drug
called GPO-VIR.
This first line treatment or first line therapy is a medical
therapy
recommended for the initial treatment of the disease.

Approximately 12,000 HIV positive people in the country have
developed
drug resistance to the first line treatment. Second line therapy
(treatment that is given when first-line therapy doesn?t work,
or stops
working) is the only option when HIV positive people develop drug
resistance otherwise they die.

The Thai government says the current market price for second line
therapy is too high - about $2,200 or 73,000 baht - per person
per year
and that it cannot afford the huge cost.

By breaking the patent on Kaletra, the Thai government
estimates it
would save 8,000 lives per year, by making distribution
possible to
people who cannot afford it through the country's public
health care system.

The World Bank has estimated that Thailand could reduce the
cost of
second-line therapy by 90% if it introduced compulsory
licenses for all
the drugs it needs in second-line therapy, saving itself $3.2
billion
over the next 20 years.

Many countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, India, Malaysia,
Mozambique
and Zambia, have broken or have threatened to break patents on
drugs for
HIV and other infectious diseases.

The May Monthly NGO Forum will focus on the issue of compulsory
licensing and adopt a common position shared by NGOs in
Northern Thailand.

The Forum is organized by the Northern NGO Coalition on AIDS
(NNCA),
Health & Development Networks (HDN), Thai Network of People
Living with
HIV/AIDS, Upper North (TNP+_No), The Church of Christ in
Thailand, AIDS
Ministry (CAM), AIDSNet Foundation, Maewang River Lowland People
Community Radio Station (MLCR), Faith Based Organizations, The
Christian
Conference of Asia (CCA), Diakonia and partnerships.

Main speakers at the event will be:

   * Mr. John Ungpakorn, ex-senator and secretary of AIDS
Access Foundation
   * Mr. Arnan Muangmoonchai, chairman of Thai Network of
People Living
     with HIV/AIDS, Upper North (TNP+_No)
   * Dr. Prawate Khidarn, General secretary of the Christian
Conference
     of Asia (CCA)
   * Asst. Prof. Sanyalux Panvatalikit, PAYAP University
Faculty of Law
     Lecturer

Ms. Sureerat Treemanka, a member of the National Economic and
Social
Advisory Council (NESAC) will moderate the forum.

Please come and participate in this Monthly NGO Forum.

Together we are stronger. Come and make your voices heard.

*_NGO Forum Details:_*

Topic: *Is Compulsory Licensing the Solution to Patients'
Access to
Treatment?*

Date: Tuesday, 29 May 2007

Time: 1.00-4.30 pm.

Location: Rattanakosin Hotel, A.Muang, Chiang Mai

To register and for more information RSVP at: 053-418438 ext.110

Email: _actioncentre at hdnet.org_

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu