Merck: Join the Medicines Patent Pool
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Of the 33.3 million people who are currently living with HIV/AIDS, only 6.6 million are being treated. Recent studies prove that access to treatment prevents transmission of HIV/AIDS. But the high price of AIDS drugs prevents millions from receiving life-saving treatment.
A recent innovative mechanism called the Medicines Patent Pool encourages pharmaceutical companies to produce generic HIV/AIDS medicines at affordable prices. Thus far the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the pharmaceutical company Gilead have joined the Medicines Patent Pool. Five other pharmaceutical companies are in negotiations.
Merck, which hold the patents for two essential AIDS medicines, refuses to negotiate with the Medicines Patent Pool.
We urge Merck to:
i) Join in negotiations with the Medicines Patent Pool by January 2012.
ii) Ensure that any resulting licenses for Efavirenz and Raltegravir include all middle and low-income countries.
iii) Guarantee that the resulting licenses will not place restrictions on the procurement of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).
Sponsor
Harvard Global Health and AIDS Coalition
Links
http://sayyestodrugs2.org/
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