The South African Minister of Health has started a showdown with the pharmaceutical industry to make drugs available to as many people as possible, especially against AIDS.
“Genocidal” and “satanic dimension”: this is how the South African Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, describes on January 17 the lobbying of pharmaceutical manufacturers against his project to reform patent law. “I don’t use strong terms, I use fair terms. This is genocide. This document can sentence many South Africans to death, ”he told the South African weekly Mail & Guardian.
A reform for generics
The reform brought by Aaron Motsoaledi wants to facilitate the manufacture of generic drugs. The current system allows drug companies to multiply patent applications simply on the grounds of innovation. Laboratories thus protect new versions of the same drug, sold at a high price. Other companies therefore cannot produce generic drugs, which are cheaper and more accessible. The reform, which should be finalized within two or three years, would put an end to these practices.
The South African Minister of Health hopes to open up the generic market, especially for AIDS. The main objective is to facilitate access at lower cost to antiretroviral treatment. The measure would benefit around 6.4 million people living with HIV in the country. It should also allow better reimbursement of cancer and tuberculosis treatments.
Intense lobbying is planned
But pharmaceutical manufacturers do not intend to let it go. In a 9-page document, which was obtained Mail & Guardian, the lobbying they intend to engage in is clearly detailed. We learn that they have joined forces with Ipasa, which represents the South African subsidiaries of the main international laboratories. The association would have hired the American company Public Affairs Engagement, specialized in lobbying, and would benefit from American funding.
Ipasa has not denied this information, and intends to study “various communication strategies. Minister Motsoaledi does not see things the same way. He anticipates a plot that aims to turn society against the government. “They want to prove to patients that the lack of access to medicines has nothing to do with intellectual property but with the incompetence of the government,” he said.
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