Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-03-15-Speech-4-134"
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"en.20010315.7.4-134"2
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". – Mr President, I should like to make the following comments on access to HIV/AIDS medicines in developing countries, or what we prefer to call the affordability of the key pharmaceuticals debate. I am basically referring to what my colleagues, Commissioners Nielson and Lamy, have already said at previous sessions.
Finally, I would urge Parliament not to lose sight of the need for the development of an AIDS and malaria vaccine. The crisis will continue to prevail and become even worse if prevention efforts are not sustained. It will take some time before vaccines are developed and available. However, we are on the right track and we urgently need to make progress.
For more than a year now the Commission has been strongly committed to addressing the urgent need for action on communicable diseases which have a dramatic effect on the lives of so many, in particular those most vulnerable living in the poorest countries or regions of the world. The Commission agreed one communication on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the context of accelerated reaction in September last year and recently adopted the subsequent programme for action.
The new Community policy framework is being discussed in many international fora and also at national and regional level with the developing countries, civil society, industry, the European Parliament, Member States, UN agencies, the US government, G8 and many others. This process of consultation will continue for some time until the Commission formulates specific work plans with all the partners involved.
In these discussions the issue of affordability of key pharmaceuticals often takes the most prominent position. This may be at the cost of the urgent attention still needed for prevention, for strengthening the health systems in developing countries and for long-term solutions to the problems, which means the development of an AIDS or malaria vaccine.
In our new policy framework we tried to combine the different levels of intervention needs in terms of both prevention and care, and even cure in the cases of malaria and tuberculosis, and in terms of country, regional, international or global level.
Addressing the issue of affordability of medicines should never exclude the focus on prevention efforts, nor negatively affect the debate on research and development. All these areas are complementary and we will continue to address them in a complementary, comprehensive manner, not allowing one to be played off against the other.
We strongly support the international commitment to tier pricing as the most efficient way in the short term to increase affordability of medicines. The Community will support, through its technical and development assistance programmes, the reinforcement of pharmaceutical policies and global production capacities in developing countries as a medium-term means of increasing affordability.
We would insist on keeping the debate on a broader level, including targeted action in favour of those millions who suffer and die from malaria and tuberculosis, and who, like those infected by HIV or living with AIDS, simply cannot afford to pay for medicines.
As you know, treatment for malaria and tuberculosis – however problematic – exists. It costs between USD 10 to 25 to treat a malaria patient and USD 11 to treat a patient suffering from tuberculosis. HIV/AIDS involves medicines which are priced way above the potential of the poorest and most vulnerable."@en1
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