Brazil Suggests that Neighbors Break Patents to Fight Swine Flu

[Chuck]

http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/11011/1/

Brazil Suggests that Neighbors Break Patents to Fight Swine Flu
Written by Newsroom
Saturday, 25 July 2009

Tamiflu The leaders of Argentina and Brazil speaking during the Mercosur summit in Paraguay, suggested Friday, July 25, that developing countries should be allowed to lift patent rights so they can produce more vaccines to battle the swine flu, the A/H1N1 virus flu pandemic.

"It would be very advantageous to propitiate a kind of lifting or suspension of the patents law because the World Health Organization has recognized that we're dealing with an epidemic," Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said in her main speech to Mercosur leaders.

Failing to act could mean "condemning millions of people to death" while "suspending" the patents law could save millions of lives, added the Argentine president.

"I hope this won't be misconstrued because I'm not talking about disavowing patent law," underlined Mrs. Kirchner adding that " I'm saying that given this unprecedented pandemic recognized by the WHO, many times some laboratories cannot keep up with world demand for vaccines."

However according to Brazilian news agency reports, the President of Brazil, Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, was more direct and proposed that leaders discuss breaking the patents law to help contain the swine flu pandemic.

The official Brazilian government news agency said Health Minister Jos? Gomes Tempor?o is negotiating with all vaccine producers to boost the vaccine's availability. "Brazil is willing to defend the health security of its population," the minister was quoted.

Brazil has been successful in recent years in convincing pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts on HIV medication. In 2007 the Brazilian government issued a compulsory license to break the patent on an antiretroviral AIDS drug made by US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.

Mrs. Kirchner said Argentina and Brazil both have highly developed pharmaceutical industries and should be able to produce vaccine "that wouldn't be free," Argentina's state news agency, Telam, reported.

"But," Telam quoted the president as saying, "it's beyond question that we're confronting a situation in which the needs of millions of people cannot be subordinated to economic interests."

This week it was announced in Buenos Aires that the local Malbran Institute research laboratory had been successful in discovering the dominant flu strain genome in Argentina, which does not have significant differences with the one detected in other parts of the world, which was described as a "very important revelation" because it will help laboratories to advance in the manufacturing of drugs to fight the disease.

 

[Zac]

Re: Brazil Suggests that Neighbors Break Patents to Fight Swine Flu

I wonder how long it would take to set up manufacturing lines even if they disregarded the patents.

Cipa, an Indian pharmaceutical company, is already making generic tamiflu and selling it for 1000 rupees (US$20) for a box of 10 75mg capsules.

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/cipla-ready-to-supply-generic-drug-to-west/451953/

Cipla ready to supply generic drug to West
Corporate Bureau
Posted online: Apr 28, 2009 at 0059 hrs

MumbaiAs worries about a possible swine flu outbreak in the West spread, pharma major Cipla Ltd on Monday said it is ready to supply 1.5 million doses of oseltamivir, the generic version of the bird flu drug, Tamiflu, which can be effective for swine flu.

Cipla, which had challenged multinationals with its cheap versions of AIDS drugs for a Medecins Sans Frontieres programme in Africa years ago, said it can deliver the drug in a month. ?Cipla has the capacity to supply the drug within 4-6 weeks,? Amar Lulla, joint managing director, Cipla, said on Monday.

The company hasn?t yet been approached by any government, Lulla said. Vineet Chawdhry, joint secretary, health ministry, said the country may add one million doses of Tamiflu or its generic versions to fight any outbreak of swine flu, doubling existing stockpiles.

Cipla sells the generic copy of Tamiflu in India at Rs 1,000 ($20) for a dose of 10 capsules, Lulla said. In contrast, the market price for Tamiflu is Rs 3,000 ($60). The company can supply India and overseas governments from its domestic factories, he said.

Following his statements, the company?s shares soared on Monday to a 52-week high of Rs 255.50, before closing at Rs 243, up by Rs 4.35 or 1.82% on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Early this month, the Delhi patent office had rejected the application of Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Tamiflu, for a patent, considering Cipla?s arguments that the drug lacked ?inventiveness?. Swiss major Roche Scientific has bought the marketing rights for Tamiflu in about 50 countries, including India. It has also sub-licensed its production and marketing rights to Hyderabad-based Hetero in India. In 2006, with the outbreak of the bird flu in India, Cipla had announced its capability to launch the drug in India.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type-A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks among the animals. Reports said at least 103 people have died in Mexico from the swine flu. WHO has declared the flu to be a ?public health emergency of international concern? and governments are taking precautions to screen for the virus.