US and WTO say no to cheap drugs for Third World Countries

[Biggles of 266]

Q: How do these people sleep at night?

A: On a big pile of money.





US says no to cheap drugs deal
December 22 2002
The Sun-Herald





US Vice-President Dick Cheney blocked a global deal to provide cheap drugs to poor countries on Friday after intense lobbying of the White House by America's pharmaceutical giants.

Faced with furious opposition from the 143 other members of the World Trade Organisation, the US is refusing to relax patent laws which keep the price of drugs beyond the reach of most developing countries.

Sources in Geneva said Mr Cheney was seizing the reins from America's trade negotiator, Robert Zoellick.

Mr Zoellick helped broker a deal on affordable drugs at the WTO's meeting last year in Doha under which developing countries were promised they would be able to override patent laws in the interest of public health.

The US drug industry has fought tooth and nail, however, to impose the narrowest possible interpretation of the Doha declaration, and wants to restrict the deal to drugs to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tubercolosis and a short list of other diseases unique to Africa.

A deal on cheap drugs is seen as essential to keep developing countries engaged in the trade round, which was started at the behest of the US and the European Union a year ago.

 

[JoBelle]

Yep. On a big pile of money, that's a good one.lol

Unfortunately, there are so many sick kids in the Unites States that don't get medical care, immunizations, doctor's visits, (you name it) that you'll likely not get much opposition from U.S. citizens to our government choosing to not yet medicate the rest of the world.

It's indeed sad for most.
Joby

 

[Moses25]

To anyone who knows...

Approx. how many peeps in the US go without some kind of health coverage?

Seems barbaric, but of course, we're pretty spoiled up here in Canuck country...

I just realized why I get into so many fights - I know that I'll always get fixed up if something happens to go "wrong".

Ya never really think aboot it until it's gone, eh?

So much fer being civilized...hehe.

*neener* 😛

Cheers.😀

 

[qjakal]

Canada....

Many people in NY import their prescription drugs from Canada. Even with shipping/handling and associated costs, it's still half the price they pay here. I know the drug companies "need" money for R & D, and deserve to reap a profit from past investments, but in my opinion they are about 40% high and out of control. Look for this to become a platform issue for one of the parties in the next presidential election. Q

 

[Shem the Penman]

The drug companies' "We need money to invest in R&D" defense tends to ring hollow when you consider that they spend more on marketing than they do on R&D.

 

[shark]

common sense approaches

If one is concerned about the cost of marketing,have the media outlets drop their prices for air time and advertizing.

If drugs can be purchased cheaper in Canada than in the US,why does the WTO fail to work with Canadian sources rather than have the US water down its laws?

Does anyone have access to reports about AIDS drugs? In the past,I had been told that some of these drugs were actually developed in the 60s to fight cancer,but were shelved for various reasons.The point involved here is that,if these reports are true,the R&D for AZT was actually funded by the taxpayer,and drug companies would be overcharging for R&D costs.I don't know where to find such information,so I'll not make a blanket assertion,merely ask a question.

The number of people in the US without health insurance changes constantly.Whenever someone changes employers,the insurance their former employer offered usually was cancelled,unless a copay program was available.Some employers offer none, and many don't offer any during a new hire's probationary period.Some people cancel insurance after marriage to a spouse with better insurance,some employees are paid more and expected to get their own,etc.The last estimate I heard brought forth was 4 million.

 

[kurchatovium]

Being a chemist I know something about the R&D of drugs. Only one out of a about a million drugs ever gets approval to go to market. Imagine having to synthesize, and chacterize a million chemicals and all the testing that goes into them after they are made. So yes the costs are quite expensive. Do drug companies make money? Yes of course. Any business must make money or else there is no business. Also some of these companies support orphan drugs. These are drugs for rare diseases which are never profitable but most larger comapnies offer them for public image sakes. In the real world businesses must make money to expand and grow. I know of many start-up drug companies that have folded becuase they could not make any of those million to one shot drugs and go to market. The pharmeceutical biz is tough, that is why I got into diagnostics which is a somewhat more stable in terms of a career.

 

[kurchatovium]

AZT is a cell poison. It kills cells. Yours, infected cells, cancer cells, etc. It is not very discrimintory. Therfore its use as a cancer drug was somewhat limited. It operates on the principle that the host (namely you) can afford to lose more cells than the cancer. It is rather nasty stuff and was used for AIDS because there was not much else. Mixture of drugs (including AZT) I think are now used to treat AIDS with much better results. Also I believe if someone is exposed to AIDS and can get to the hospital within two hours they can treat the disease and there is virtually no chance that you will get.

 

[amk714]

Well...

I think the drug and health care industries are more concerned with making a profit than treating people.

 

[Oddjob0226]

"The US is refusing to relax patent laws which keep the price of drugs beyond the reach of most developing countries."


The price of drugs is beyond many of us Americans, too!

I used to get perscription drugs at a charity hospital. The wait & scheduling hassles were incredible. Now I get my drugs with the help of the insurance I get at work. The only reason my work offers me insurance is because my boss'(the owner) wife has to take cancer meds.

 

[shark]

amk

I believe that. It's the nature of business,to a large degree.When United States Steel changed to USX and closed a bunch of mills,their
president,David Roderick,stated that USX wasn't in the business of making steel, they were in the business of making money.

This is true of many companies,some more extreme than others.If they weren't trying to make a profit,they'd be charities.Many do alot for the community at large,others next to nothing.

That's reality for you,it's not always pleasant.

 

[guitman69]

Yep. On a big pile of money, that's a good one.lol

Unfortunately, there are so many sick kids in the Unites States that don't get medical care, immunizations, doctor's visits, (you name it) that you'll likely not get much opposition from U.S. citizens to our government choosing to not yet medicate the rest of the world.

They're not asking the pharmeceutical companies to give away the drugs, just let other countries make them for themselves, instead of having to buy them from the U.S.

Let me pose this one question though. Are they really making any money from this? I mean if these countries can't afford to import the drugs, they're not going to make any money anyway.

 

[ShiningIce]

How many countires out there have Canada's health care system?

 

[kurchatovium]

How many would want it? I have heard stories of Canadians sneaking across the border to use our system. Also there are more MRI machines in Philadelphia than there are in all of Canada at least as of several years ago. Indicating that maybe things are not as ideal as some would have you believe. Certainly our system isn't perfect but I wouldn't trade it for anything right now.

 

[kurchatovium]

Amk I would agree with that point as well. Its the nature of business to make money thats what the stock holders expect. Many stock holders are average people too trying to save up for retirement, not filthy rich executives. As shark said businesses are suppose to make money that is just a cold hard fact of life.

 

[Biggles of 266]

Re: amk

That's reality for you,it's not always pleasant.

I agree, just because they're making drugs to fight third world diseases like AIDs and Malaria, doesn't mean they're a humanitarian organisation. It's still all about the profits... not about saving lives.

 

[kurchatovium]

The point is without the profits there are no drugs to fight cancer, aids or anything else. If the company does not make money it folds and thereby does not produce squat to help anybody.

 

[august spies]

yes which is why the system sucks, and the people making the decisions are the rich stock holding elite.

anyone on here tyring to rationalize banning cheap AIDS drugs and contraception to the suffering poor and says they support freedom needs their head examined

there is more to life than the profits of the few

 

[kurchatovium]

A cheap form of contraception already exists its called abstinence. As for cheap AIDS drugs as new ones are developed I'm certain the price will come down. If companies charge too much they won't make as much so it is in their interest to bring the price down. A company makes profits, profits are reinvested in the company, company makes better/more products, company makes more profits, and the cycle repeats. Thats the way businesses work whether it makes ice cream or drugs. Get used to it.

 

[bticklishfeet]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I heard that prescription drugs were very cheap in Canada. A lot cheaper we can get it.


I think it is a shame that so many of the elderly and single parents with kids can't get health care because they can't afford it. That is so sad!
Cookie

 

[shark]

bticklishfeet

That's the exact point I had made earlier on this thread. Why not go through Canadian sources if US sources are too expensive? Or does this option involve too much common sense?

Many threads ago,I had mentioned a documentary about AIDS in parts of Africa.The attitude of the people interviewed was that of
"If I get it,I get it.I'm going to have my fun." I'm not going out of my way to feel sorry for those who refuse to stop playing their games.

Going back to the first topic here,I wouldn't mind seeing a state-run auxiliary insurance program for those who have no insurance.This was done with auto insurance in PA years ago.They now have a program for children called CHIP.This approach can be used until more permanent insurance can be obtained.

 

[shark]

What stops drugs from being made in other countries?Even if they run into US patent problems,there is little that can be done if the drugs are not sold in the US.

Have other people take the time,effort,and expense to invent them.Cuba,Russia,and China all have experience in making biological and chemical weapons.Get them off their asses instead of whining about how US companies are so evil.Hell,if they happen on to something,the cost of the whole AIDS drug program would drop.

 

[august spies]

yea ok kurch keep rationalizing corporate greed to yourself as 40million children will be orphaned due to the AIDS crisis.

abstinence, i forgot if your dark skinned and poor sex is illegal

just keep rationalizing it

 

[kurchatovium]

I really don't get the dark skinned and poor reference. I was not making any reference to race. I merely am saying that if you are really worried about AIDS refraining from sex is one sure way to help you avoid getting it. At the very least these days not sleeping with someone you don't know very well is just good common sense. I don't thing anyone would argue that point.

I am not trying to rationalize anything. Its a simple economic principle businesses need to make money. No money, no research, no new AIDS drugs, no potential AIDS vaccine (which has little potential I think but that is another whole ball of wax), no anything. I certainly don't want anymore people to die of AIDS, nor do I have any great love for pharmeceutical CEO's but I am a pragmatic person at heart. If drug companies don't make big profits your not going to see jack-diddly in terms of new products to help with AIDS or any other disease.

Anyway Merry Christmas to you August from your favorite conservative.🙂

 

[august spies]

what that more rationalization about blocking cheap aids drugs to dying poor people? keep doing it

telling humans to give up sex isnt an option

the issue at hand is the US will sue poor countries for manufacturing thier own generic drugs. it has nothing to do with new drugs.

and most us drug companies money goes to overhead crap not research. there goal is to make money as you admitted, which is the problem. their goal should be to help people