Some good news from the just completed World Health Assembly -- for the first time at the ministerial level, there was an extended discussion on counterfeit medicines. And the really good news is that a majority of countries are aligning for strong concerted action. (China laid low.)
Not Brazil. Their main concern was related to the definition of counterfeits because of its intellectual property rights (IPR) implications. One of Brazil’s hang-ups centered on the potential inclusion of "substandard" medicines” in the overall definition of “counterfeits” -- which Brazil sees as a code word for unauthorized generics and similares.
And not India. According to Gopa Kumar, research officer at the Centre for Trade and Development, “Counterfeiting is an issue of trademark violation and has no bearing on public health.”
Yep – that’s a direct quote, Check it out here:
http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/23004023/India-fears-generic-drugs-may.html
The only thing this absurd rhetoric from Brazil and India puts into context is the pretzel logic gyrations of Jamie Love and his Sci-Fi obsession over the “definition” of counterfeits.
For more on this, see “Putting Lipstick on a Blister Pack” here:
http://www.drugwonks.com/blog/putting_lipstick_on_a_blister_pack/
This time the clock was on the side of Brazil and India because there was insufficient time to convene a drafting group to resolve the resolution. But the resolution (proposed by Nigeria and others), to aggressively address the problem – and define counterfeiting for what it is – criminal international health care terrorism, is on the table for discussion at the Executive Board meeting in January. That’s concrete progress.
And remember the words of Hubert Humphrey:
“Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be.”
Not Brazil. Their main concern was related to the definition of counterfeits because of its intellectual property rights (IPR) implications. One of Brazil’s hang-ups centered on the potential inclusion of "substandard" medicines” in the overall definition of “counterfeits” -- which Brazil sees as a code word for unauthorized generics and similares.
And not India. According to Gopa Kumar, research officer at the Centre for Trade and Development, “Counterfeiting is an issue of trademark violation and has no bearing on public health.”
Yep – that’s a direct quote, Check it out here:
http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/23004023/India-fears-generic-drugs-may.html
The only thing this absurd rhetoric from Brazil and India puts into context is the pretzel logic gyrations of Jamie Love and his Sci-Fi obsession over the “definition” of counterfeits.
For more on this, see “Putting Lipstick on a Blister Pack” here:
http://www.drugwonks.com/blog/putting_lipstick_on_a_blister_pack/
This time the clock was on the side of Brazil and India because there was insufficient time to convene a drafting group to resolve the resolution. But the resolution (proposed by Nigeria and others), to aggressively address the problem – and define counterfeiting for what it is – criminal international health care terrorism, is on the table for discussion at the Executive Board meeting in January. That’s concrete progress.
And remember the words of Hubert Humphrey:
“Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be.”
