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Publication : Asia Pulse
Provider : Asia Pulse Pte Limited
July 13, 2004
Patent Protection Crucial For Next Generation Hiv/aids Medicines
Bangkok, July 13, PR Newswire-AsiaNet - Intellectual
property protection is essential to ensure the continued
development of new HIV/AIDS medicines. In a presentation before
the XV International AIDS Conference, Pfizer Inc Chairman and
CEO, Henry A. McKinnell, Ph.D., pointed out the critical need
for new therapies, particularly to address the issues of
resistance and tolerability to existing medicines. Scientific
research has shown that within a few years of starting first
line antiretroviral treatment, in approximately half of the
patients the medicines fail, frequently as a result of drug
resistance or tolerability.
The data further indicates that within two years of starting
third line antiretroviral therapy, two thirds of patients will
experience resistance build up to these medicines.
"The research-based pharmaceutical industry has been quick
to discover and develop new medicines to treat HIV and its
complications. In the past, governments, NGOs, and the private
sector were slow to offer realistic solutions to the multiple
challenges of making these medicines available to those people
who need them," said McKinnell. "Since the last Conference in
Barcelona, however, there has been a sea change in access
initiatives. These include a steep decline in anti-retroviral
prices in the poorest countries, and new models of access such
as no profit pricing, donations of medicines, voluntary
licensing, and increased generic availability."
"The issue of IP is loaded with emotion because it has
become a proxy to rationalize reasons for health disparities
and economic inequalities. In a world where most AIDS patients
die out of sight of even a paved road, patent protection alone
is too simplistic an answer," said McKinnell.
"While IP must not be a barrier to treatment, it is a vital
resource to help us find new treatments and cures," McKinnell
stated. "People living with HIV are going to need a steady
stream of new therapies as the virus mutates and currently
available treatments fail patients," he added.
"We will work with governments on access to Pfizer medicines
needed in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
for those who cannot afford treatment. We will not agree,
however, where the goal is to appropriate our technology for
sale by others at a profit," McKinnell said.
Contact : Imraan Munshi +66(1)-250-0092 /
Jeff Sandman +66(1)-250-0843
Source : Pfizer Inc
ASIA PULSE
13-07 1903.
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