Consumers
October 03 2007
by Briefing staffGSK allows Aids drug for Rwanda
GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical company, has broadened its commitment to improve access to medicines for the developing world by allowing a Canadian company to manufacture a generic version of HIV/Aids medicine for use in Rwanda. This forms part of Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime, which is part of the Canadian government’s initiative to help developing countries to tackle diseases such as HIV/Aids, TB and malaria.
Contact GSKwww.gsk.com; Canada’s Access to Medicine Regimehttp://camr-rcam.hc-sc.gc.ca
Novartis loses Indian court battle
Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical company, lost a battle in the Indian courts on August 6 after challenging an Indian patent law. The law states that India is allowed to refuse a patent for an existing medicine if it has been modified only slightly. Agencies, such as Care International and Oxfam, have reported that Novartis is unlikely to launch an appeal to the ruling.
Novartis described the decision as having “long-term negative consequences for research and development into better medicines for patients in India and abroad” and stated that patent systems are “critical for medical progress”. The company acknowledged that the patent case has generated debate around the issue of global access to medicine and emphasised that “improving access to medicine is an integral component of the Novartis business strategy and global social responsibility commitment”. India is one of the foremost suppliers of generic medicines to the developing world where patented drugs are too expensive for the poor to afford.
Contact Care Internationalwww.careinternational.org.uk; Novartis 0041 61 324 1111www.novartis.com
Pharmaceutical Industry Report 2007
Ethical risks are on the increase for the pharmaceutical industry according to the Covalence Pharmaceutical Industry Report 2007. The report, published on August 29 by Covalence – the Geneva-based ethical reputation research firm, found that most of the risks are related to intellectual property rights, pricing, clinical trials, side-effects and transparency. It also found that environmental efforts made by the industry are not as pioneering as those made by other industries. It suggests that pharmaceutical companies should work on and develop ways in which to be recognised as sustainable.
The companies mentioned in the report include GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson as well as Pfizer, Abbott, Novartis and AstraZeneca.
Contact Covalence 0041 22 800 08 55www.covalence.ch