We the Indian Drug Users Forum (IDUF), the apex body of People Who Use Drugs (PUDs) of India, declare our opposition to the EU-India Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), which has put the profits of multinational pharmaceutical companies ahead of people’s right to health around the world. These agreements are threatening to fundamentally & permanently undermine access to affordable medicines for millions of people. New HIV/AIDS & TB medicines, Hepatitis C treatments, cancer medicines, essential medicines, life saving medicines for many chronic diseases are all under threat.
Your excellency, (European Ambassadors) I bring you, messages from hundreds of groups views worldwide that have denounced the European Commission's deadly trade policy. For four years European Union (EU) has negotiated a bilateral agreement with India, for three years EU negotiated ACTA in a total lack of transparency. EU has repeatedly stated that these agreements will not affect affordable medicines. How can EU claim that data exclusivity will not have an impact when the European Parliament itself has asked that this provision not be put in an FTA with developing countries? How can EU state that ACTA and the enforcement provisions in the EU-India FTA will not affect medicines when European customs authorities continue to seize generic medicines in transit, like it happened again last November? How can EU ask India to implement TRIPS-plus provisions and state these will not affect access to medicines when the United Nations, the WHO, UNITAID, the Global Fund, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health have all condemned these provisions for affected treatment? The statements of the European Commission have always been vague and aiming at confusing the citizens of Europe and millions of people in need to treatment worldwide. But they are not fooling anyone. The European Commission speaks only for the profits of a few companies and not for the lives of millions across the world. Your FTA only aims at strengthening pharmaceutical companies monopolies. While the consequences for firms will be more profits, in the real world many people will die because they will not have access to treatments because of their price. Across Asia, Latin America and Africa protests against the European Union are taking place.
“Over 80% of people receiving HIV medicine in the developing world are taking Indian drugs. The EC is heeding the call of big pharma and using its wealth to force India into accepting terms in this agreement that would strangle the vital Indian supply of affordable medicines. This is an attack, driven by greed, on the health of the world’s most vulnerable people and it must stop.”
India’s generic medicines industry has become vital to the health of the world’s poor, with millions across Africa, Asia and South America relying on high quality, affordable Indian-produced medicines to survive – earning it the nickname ‘the pharmacy of the world’.
Hepatitis C (HCV) a great concern among PUDs in North` East India
ICMR Govt. of India, FHI Delhi, NARI Pune, RIMS Imphal and Kripa Foundation Nagaland, had conducted Integrated Bio Behavioral Assessment (IBBA) study among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in Nagaland and Manipur (two district each), and according to Integrated Bio Behavioral Assessment (IBBA) study finding that among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) both in Manipur and Nagaland HCV prevalence is very alarming. Nagaland state: Phek district 8.7%, Wokha district 20.8%, in Manipur state: Bhisnupur: district 45.7% and Churachandpur: district 92.2%
The biggest challenge to access to Hep C services is the cost. The medicines are unaffordable and due to patent restrictions on interferon, India cannot produce generic drugs. "We have not been able to get generic versions of treatment for hepatitis-C that affects people who currently and formerly used drugs and many people living with HIV because the medicine is patented in India”. "And I don't know any one of us who can afford the Rs. 7 lakhs (over US$15,000) it costs in India for the full treatment."
Now many of People who Use Drugs (PUDs) in North East India had died of HCV and not HIV, People are dying even treatment/cure is available. Access to medicines is a right for ALL and not a privilege for only those who can afford to pay the exorbitant prices.
We request the visiting European ambassadors to look into these agreements; which is threatening to fundamentally right (right to health) & permanently undermine access to affordable medicines for millions of people. And we hope the visiting Ambassador team will treat this request as urgent and important because millions of lives are at stake.
Mr. Abou Mere
President, Indian Drug Users Forum (IDUF)
