Advocacy on Access to Treatment

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Advocacy on Access to Treatment
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The obstacles

• poor health infrastructures.
• the high cost of drugs
• Inadequate political will

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The Context

• Epidemiology More than 95 of PLWHIV/AIDS live
  in developing countries,
• Per Capita Income 25,732 in rich countries
  versus 440 in sub-Saharan Africa and 500 in
  South Asia,
• Per Capita Health Spending 1500 in North
  America vs. 204 in Africa and Asia,

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Context

• Other priorities such as clean water, adequate
  housing and nutrition, and decent schools and
  highways.
• Other serious epidemics, such as tuberculosis
  and malaria
• The Market for Drugs. Africa accounts for just
  1.

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Poor Health Infrastructure

• Too few clinics, hospital beds and laboratories.
• Shortage of competent health care professionals.
• lack of medical and laboratory equipment
• Drug distribution systems are incomplete.
• Adequate food, clean water,

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Addressing the The High Cost of Drugs

• Distribution Pipelines United States-Venezuela
  Air Bridge
• Bulk Buying has reduced prices in the countries
  of the Caribbean
• Technology Transfer Building local
  infrastructure
• Amendment to Canadian Patent Legislation to allow
  generic manufacturers to export cheaper drugs to
  countries in need

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International initiatives

• WHO 3by5 -- provides technical assistance and
  standards concerning the scale up of treatment
  programs (3 million on treatment by 2005)
• Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria
  provides financing to country-led initiatives
• Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
  (PEPFAR) will spend US15 billion over 5 years in
  14 countries in the Caribbean and Africa to
  support AIDS projects
• Clinton Foundation works with governments to
  help finance projects using bilateral funding
  mechanisms

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Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG)

• Increasing support to the Global Fund and other
  bilateral and multi-lateral mechanisms
• All trade agreements (including TRIPS, FTAA and
  others) must allow for the effective use of
  compulsory licenses for producing quality generic
  medicines for export to developing countries
• Official Development Assistance for health care
  infrastructure in developing countries should be
  increased.

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What is GTAG

• GTAG is a working group of Canadian
  non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sharing
  information and developing joint campaigning
  activities aimed at improving access to essential
  medicines and other aspects of care, treatment
  and support for people living with HIV/AIDS in
  developing countries
• GTAG focuses its efforts on both the Canadian
  government and international actors

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What does GTAG do?

• The working group monitors and undertakes
  activities with respect to issues such as
• Canadas positions in political and trade forums
  which affect access to essential medicine for
  treatment of HIV/AIDS and opportunistic
  infections
• Canadas contributions to global initiatives such
  as the Global Fund and Canadas contributions to
  ODA and debt cancellation
• CIDA policies and guidelines as they related to
  access to treatment
• Prepares policy papers and public education
  information
• Participates in national and international forums
  dealing with global access to treatment and
  health care
• Letter writing campaigns, policy submissions and
  other actions directed at government policy
  makers in Canada and internationally

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How to become a member

• NGOs are encouraged to become members of GTAG
• The NGO should designate a person who can
  represent it on GTAG and serve as the liaison
  between their organization and GTAG and be
  responsible for obtaining the necessary approval
  of their organization to participate in joint
  activities
• No funding is available for GTAGs work. Costs of
  participation and activities are borne by
  participating NGOs
• Contact Richard Elliott at the Canadian HIV/AIDS
  Legal Network. Telephone [phone] or e-mail
  relliott_at_aidslaw.ca

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ORGANIZATIONS CANADA

• Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
• Canadian Treatment Advocates Council (CTAC)
• Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development
  (ICAD)
• Médecins sans frontières / Doctors Without
  Borders Canada (MSF Canada)
• Oxfam Canada
• Canadian Labour Congress

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International Organizations involved in access to
treatment

• Countries Consumer Project on Technology (CPT)
• Health Global Access Project (GAP) Coalition
• HIV AIDS Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)
• International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
  Commission (IGLHRC)

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E-mail discussion fora

• Treatment Access Forum
• www.hivnet.ch8000/topics/treatment-access/
• Pharm-Policy Mailing List
• Lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/pharm-policy