Press Release
18 April 2007
Better deal on drugs for world’s poor
Hilary
Benn, International Development Secretary, today outlined a new way to get
better, cheaper drugs to the world’s poor. He set out plans for a new
partnership between the UK, drug companies, charities and poor countries to
tackle the problems of fake drugs, corruption, inefficient distribution and
improved access to medicines for the developing world.
Speaking to those supporting the
Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA), in
London today, Mr Benn set out the principles of the new UK-led international
plan that aims to increase transparency in the regulation, procurement,
distribution and sales of drugs in developing countries.
The Alliance, which will be officially launched in the coming months, will run pilot projects in up to nine countries that will:
- publish information on the amount, quality and price of drugs in poor countries;
- allow patients to see what they should pay and give them confidence in the quality and safety of the drugs they are being given; and
- create a forum for each pilot country that brings together patients, doctors, NGOs and those involved in supplying drugs that brings independent scrutiny to help the new system work.
Hilary Benn said:
"One third of the world’s population has no access to the drugs they need to help them fight disease and up to 30 per cent of drugs available in the poorest countries are fake or sub-standard. Even when the right medicines are available they are unaffordable for the majority of people in developing countries with mark-ups of up to 500 per cent by some pharmacists.
"This new global partnership will be a significant step forward in getting the right drugs to the right people at the right price. It will strengthen systems that get medicines from the drug companies to the patients, making them more open and transparent.
"By making more information available to the public it will help identify where the problems are, challenge high prices, tackle counterfeit drugs and expose corrupt practices.
"With the political support of both rich and poor countries, involvement of all of the right people in the supply chain and NGOs acting as a watchdog, MeTA will give a huge boost to getting medicines to the people with the least access and greatest need."
The UK, through the Department for International Development (DFID), has led
the development of, and been instrumental in generating support for, the new
Alliance. The partnership seeks to bring together global organisations like the
World Health Organisation, major pharmaceutical companies such as
GlaxoSmithKline, and NGOs including
Health Action International.
Today’s meeting comes ahead of a two day international conference on Access to Medicines jointly hosted by The Lancet and DFID in London. The conference will generate debate and look at practical solutions to improve access to medicines for the world’s poorest.
Notes for editors
- The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) is based on the successful
model piloted by the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
launched by the Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2002. The EITI has brought
together oil, gas and mining countries with governments and civil society to
increase the transparency of the revenue that is generated by companies and
given to governments in developing countries.
- The Alliance is expected to be formally launched in late May or early June, when the details of the principles of the initiative will be published and the countries that will pilot the scheme will be announced.
- Hilary Benn spoke today at the first stakeholder meeting of the new Alliance at the Kohn Centre, The Royal Society in London. Attending the meeting were representatives from the World Bank and WHO; key figures from developing country governments including Ghana (Health Minister), Jordan (Government Procurement Agency) and Kyrgyzstan (Health Insurance Fund); prominent NGOs including Health Action International and HEPS-Uganda; and the international pharmaceutical industry, including GlaxoSmithKline, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association.
For further information, contact Nic Fearon-Low on 020 7023 0533 or 020 7023 0600, e-mail pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300 4100.
