Open letter to PM: ensure access to HIV/AIDS treatment

The Chennai High Court is set to hear a case that could have far-reaching effect on the affordability of lifesaving medicines in India and throughout the developing world.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Country Director of ActionAid India , Babu Matthew expresses concerns of multitudes of health activists and patients.

In 2006, the Chennai patent office had denied Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis a patent for leukaemia drug Gleevec. The company is challenging this decision, and in a separate legal proceeding, claims that the Indian government is violating World Trade Organisation agreements.

Human rights groups say Novartis is seeking to curtail the ability of the Indian government to protect the public health of its population. Antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS would be pushed out of reach of millions affected by the virus.

Generic drugs cost far less than patented ones. Gleevec is a case in point. Novartis sells it in India for Rs 120,000 (2,719 US dollars) per dose, while Indian companies sell it at Rs 8,000 (181 dollars).

Read the letter here…..