MSF calls for political courage to change rules of medical innovation
28 April 2008, London – More than 150 countries, meeting at a UN health research and development (R&D) summit in Geneva this week, must grab the opportunity to right a terrible wrong, says medical humanitarian aid agency, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
As the meeting opens, MSF calls on governments to show the courage needed to push essential reforms through, so that new life-saving drugs, diagnostics and vaccines are developed for people in poor countries. Governments must address the flawed and broken system of medical R&D, which largely disregards the health needs of millions of people in developing countries.
“This week is not just about countries signing cheques,” said Dr. Christophe Fournier, President of Médecins Sans Frontières’ International Council. “It’s about changing the rules of medical innovation –coming up with new proposals that ensure that vital drugs are developed and are made affordable. With so many vested interests involved, we hope governments will be bold enough to take that step.”
Today’s system for developing new drugs is very heavily dependent on patent monopolies. The consensus, supported by a UN report in 2006, is that this is not working: the prices of health products are kept artificially high, reserved for the few who can afford to pay. At the same time, diseases that mostly affect the poor are completely neglected, regardless of how many lives they claim.
“The current R&D system status quo means that doctors working in developing countries are stuck using old and failing treatments and tools for diseases like tuberculosis,” said Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of MSF’s Access Campaign. “There are some big ideas on the table that could help produce urgently needed medical products for developing country diseases – what we really need now is the deep commitment of governments. Relying exclusively on philanthropic organisations and charities is not a solution.”
The failure of today’s system is illustrated by tuberculosis (TB). The most widely used test to diagnose TB was developed in the 1880s and misses more patients than it detects. With the spread of resistant strains, the drugs to treat TB are growing ever more ineffective, and are unable to stem the resurgence of the disease. In spite of this, funding for TB research fails to increase.
“We won’t give up treating people with the TB drugs that we have right now, but we desperately need new drugs if we are to ever really get TB under control,” says Dr. Liesbet Ohler, MSF’s Medical Deputy Project Coordinator in Kenya. “Governments must find ways to mobilise the level of research necessary to come up with effective new treatments. If not, the future for a disease like TB looks very bleak.”
This week’s summit concludes a two-year process known as the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG). The World Health Organization is hosting the summit and has been instructed to deliver new ways of paying for R&D, other than patent monopolies, so that medical innovation is steered towards where it is needed and delivers low-priced affordable products.
New initiatives such as prize funds could help steer medical R&D towards where it is most needed and help find a way of paying for medical R&D so that drugs are no longer priced too high. MSF is looking for governments to support new mechanisms that will allow this to happen.
If you would like any further information, or would like to arrange an interview with an MSF spokesperson, please contact Olivia Blanchard on 0207 067 4217 or 07770 235740