Anti Retroviral Therapy: Access

Sharanjeet Parmar, an activist lawyer from India, explained the implications of TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement), which strengthens patent rules and could result in higher prices for new medications. She felt TRIPS is a catalyst for the health crisis in India. While not advocating for the wholesale abolition of patents, the right to effective health care has to have priority over profits and nations need to have the right to develop intellectual property rights that suit their own situation. Essential drugs, such as HIV antiretrovirals, are not just mere commodities. It was noted that TRIPS benefits are not being realised in developing countries, which can be seen by the low levels of R&D on tropical or "poor" country diseases. Sharanjeet provided an action plan to improve treatment access in the short-term, long-term and from the international and grass roots activism perspectives. Short-term actions included lowering duties and taxes on essential drugs, which India enacted a few months ago for ARV, and national laws using TRIPS exceptions to mitigate the negative aspects. Long-term actions included creating reliable health supply systems and generating economies of scale to improve the bargaining position to purchase drugs at lower prices. International actions included improved regional coordination and countering the strong western industry interests. Grass root activism was seen as vital and could "start at this Congress". Ashok Pillai, a well-known PLWHA activist from India, used his time to provide us with his personal perspective on the problems facing PLWHA activist organisations in developing countries, including the fact that people are dying from AIDS far to early and often. He noted that the needs of positive people definitely includes access to ARV, it also includes effective health monitoring and nutritional support. Our chair, Paul Toh, also stressed that access to treatment should not just focus on drugs but needed to include monitoring and care. Ashok explained INP+ was leading by example by providing effective care services to PLWHA.