Date: 20 July 2011
Source:  www.abiaids.org.br

The first license signed between the "Medicines Patent Pool" (MPP) and a pharmaceutical company frustrated the expectations of civil society groups in several countries. Launched as an innovative mechanism to promote access to patented medicines in developing and least developed countries, the MPP has contradicted the principles that justified it`s creation excluding several countries of the benefits of the first license announced, notably Latin American countries.

The agreement announced on July 12th, firmed with Gilead, allows the production by Indian companies of generic versions of the following HIV medicines: tenofovir, emtricitabine, and elvitegravir cobicistat and the combination of these four drugs in one pill known and Quad. It must be remembered that Gilead already had agreements with Indian companies since 2006 for the production of generic versions of the drugs Viread`  (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or TDF) and Truvada` (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate + emtricitabine). These agreements allows Indian companies to sell only to certain countries.

The MPP represented a hope of overcoming this limitation of geographical scope, since it was announced as a mean of promoting access for all developing countries. That promise is not being fulfilled. Some countries that were not included in the licenses negotiated between Gilead and  Indian companies a few years ago were covered in the agreement negotiated with the MPP, but many countries are still excluded. We consider unacceptable the discrimination between countries and to let companies decide which populations can be benefited.

Thus, the MPP is not helping to prevent Latin American patients from having their treatment interrupted because of the high cost of drugs and to protect the sustainability of health programs. We believe that the MPP has the potential to make the public health needs take precedence over commercial requirements and thereby collaborate for overcoming the barriers to access to essential medicines, such as market segmentations.
At the political level, we recall that at the UNGASS 2011 Political Declaration on HIV, paragraph 71, C, countries commit to remove obstacles limiting the ability of low-income and middle-income countries to supply ARV treatment, and that the use of MPP was pointed as an alternative for this purpose.

Therefore, it is alarming that many countries in Latin America are excluded from the MPP License with Gilead. According to recent UNAIDS report, countries in this region have spent increasingly their scarce public resources to supply AIDS treatment. In addition, the current scenario of global retreat from international donors for projects on HIV / AIDS affects especially Latin America. The region has often been forgotten and is the only one from the global south that has not been cited in the recent UNGASS 2011 Political Declaration on HIV. In the context faced by our continent, where demand for the incorporation of new drugs protected by patents - as may be the case of cobicistat and elvitegravir - is large, the MPP could play a key role ensuring more affordable prices to these countries. However, this is not what happened in the first license signed with a pharmaceutical company.

In addition, the MPP was established by UNITAID as an entity to which companies, researchers and universities would license their patents on essential drugs and then any company interested in using the inventions could negotiate a license with the MPP, under predetermined conditions. That promise is not being fulfilled as well. The license announced on the July 12th established that only Indian companies can negotiate with the MPP. Other countries with capacity to produce generics were excluded, contrary to the initial proposal of encouraging multiple producers and lower prices through competition.

We, civil society organizations of various countries excluded from the license negotiated between the MPP and Gilead express our displeasure with this agreement and call for non-discrimination principles defended by the MPP to be adopted in this negotiation and upcoming ones.

We expect much more from the "Medicines Patent Pool" and call this entity to defend the interests and needs of the populations of developing countries, always acting in accordance with the principles under which it was created. We demand that these principles be considered non-negotiable within the agreements negotiated with pharmaceutical companies. Finally, we hope that this agreement do not become the template for future negotiations, taking forward a practice contrary to the principles of the MPP and generating an unacceptable exclusion of Latin America and other regions.
Sincerely,

Acci`n Ciudadana Contra el Sida - ACCSI - Venezuela
Acciones Voluntarias sobre Educaci`n ` AVE-  M`xico
Alianza LAC Global por el Acceso a Medicamentos
ALUVIH/SUR  - Argentina
ASEPO (Asociaci`n de Ayuda al Soro Positivo)
Asociaci`n Animo y ALiento
Asociaci`n Coordinadora de Sectores de Lucha Contra el Sida  - ACSLCS
Asociaci`n Cristiana de J`venes ` El Salvador
Asociaci`n Gente Nueva - Guatemala
Asociaci`n Nacional de Personas Positivas Vida Nueva - El Salvador.
Asociaci`n para la Salud y la Ciudadania en Am`rica Latina - ASICAL
Asociaci`n Amigos por Siempre Promoviendo tus Derechos- AAxS - Per`
Asociaci`n Portadores de Vida- Formosa - Argentina
Associa``o Brasileira Interdisciplinar de Aids -ABIA - Brasil
Avellaneda - Argentina
Balance Promoci`n para el Desarrollo y Juventud - M`xico
Coalici`n Ecuatoriana de personas que viven con VIH/Sida ` Equador
Coalici`n Internacional de Activistas en Tratamientos
Colectivo C`rdoba solid`ria - Argentina
Comit` Salud
Condom`vil ` M`xico
Conectas Direitos Humanos - Brasil
Corporaci`n Kimirina - Equador
Derechohabientes Viviendo con VIH del IMSS (DVVIMSS)
EAM Guanabacoa AMISTAD

Foro de Ongs en la Lucha Contra el VIH ` El Salvador
Fundaci`n Arcoiris por el respeto a la diversidad sexual - M`xico
Closet de Sor Juana -  M`xico
Fundaci`n Buenos Aires Sida - Argentina
Fundaci`n Huellas - Equador
Fundaci`n Hu`sped ` Argentina
Fundaci`n Manodiversa ` Bol`via
Fundaci`n Misi`n Salud - Col`mbia
Fundaci`n para Estudio e Investigaci`n de la Mujer -FEIM
GAPA/ SP - Brasil
Gente Buena del Sur - Argentina
Gestos ` Brasil
Grupo de Resist`ncia Asa Branca - GRAB - Brasil
Grupo Esperanza y Vida
Grupo Genesis Panam` + - Panam`
Grupo pela Vidda/RJ - Brasil
Grupo Pela Vidda/SP - Brasil
Instituto de Defesa do Consumidor - IDEC - Brasil
Instituto de Estudios de La Mujer "Norma Virginia Guirola de Herrera`` El Salvador
International AIDS Women Caucus -IAWC
Intilla Asociaci`n Civil ` Argentina
La Asociaci`n por La Vida (ASOVIDA) - Venezuela
La Mesa de Organizaciones con trabajo en VIH/sida - Col`mbia
La Red de Ongs y Obc con trabajo en VIH/Sida del Interior de Venezuela (REDIVIH)
LACCASO
Licencia Obligatoria - Col`mbia
L`dice Lopez, Activista Independiente - Per`
LIGA Bonaerense de Diversidad sexual - Argentina
Liga Colombiana de Lucha Contra el Sida - Col`mbia

Luz M. Umbasia Bernal, abogada
Movimiento Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Mujeres Positivas ` Uruguay
Movimiento Latinoamericano y del Caribe de Mujeres Positivas (Regional)
Movimiento Mexicano de Ciudadan`a Positiva - M`xico
Mujer y Salud en Uruguay ` MYSU ` Uruguay
Mujeres en Positivo por Venezuela - Venezuela
Observatorio Centroamericano VIH
Observat`rio Latino
Projeto Esperan`a de S`o Miguel Paulista ` PROJESP - Brasil
Red Argentina de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH-sida (RAMVIHS)- Argentina
Red Argentina de Personas Positivas (Redar Positiva) - Argentina
Red Bonaerense de Personas viviendo con VIH - Argentina
Red de Personas con VIH/sida Mar del Plata
Red de PVVS de la Frontera Uruguay-Brasil.
Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe ` RSMLAC
Red Latinoamericana de Personas con VIH - REDLA+
Red Mexicana de Personas que Viven con VIH/SIDA - Mexico
Red Nacional de J`venes y Adolescentes para la Salud Sexual y Reproductiva ` Argentina
Red Peruana de Mujeres Viviendo con VIH ` Per`
Red Venezolana de Gente Positiva - Venezuela
Red Venezolana de Mujeres Positivas ` RVM+ - Venezuela
RNP+ S`o Lu`s - Brasil
Senderos Asociaci`n Mutual de Cali - Columbia
Sra Silvia Gigena
TRAVESIA  - Argentina
Vivir. Participaci`n, Incidencia y Transparencia ` Mexico

Keywords: Open letter / Latin-American /MPP /Gilead