The South Africa government should quickly approve the CIPLA request
for compulsory licenses to patents under section 56 of the South Africa
patents act. The basis for the approval is as stated in the request, to
increase competition and drive down prices for antiretrovials in South
Africa, where more than 98 percent of HIV infected persons do not have
access to medicines. Moreover, we call upon the South Africa government
to issue additional compulsory licenses to Ranbaxy, Hetero Drugs Ltd.
and generic producers from South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, Canada and
other countries.
Any delay in issuance of compulsory licenses will harm the health of
South Africa AIDS patients.
The South Africa PMA has spent the past two weeks stating the South
Africa government should issue compulsory licenses to patents on HIV
drugs under the provisions of the existing South Africa patents act.
While the PMA said this to undermine the South Africa government's use
of 15c in the Medicines Act, it is also true that the government has a
legal way to issue the licenses. Now that there is request for a
compulsory license, the government should act quickly, this is an urgent
matter.
For comment
James Love
Robert Weissman
1.202.387.8030
love@cptech.org
1.202.387.8030
rob@essential.org