Pharmaceutical patent
-
Stop the India-EU FTA Negotiations, Decimator of the 'Pharmacy of the World'!
2011/11/27US and EU are threatening lives of people living with disease now. The India-EU FTA is an agreement which risk patients' health none the more than the KORUS FTA. Especially, the India-EU FTA endangers lives of people living with disease all over the world. We urge the Lee Myoung-bak government to abolish KORUS FTA immediately as well as the India government to stop the India-EU FTA negotiation. We also call for the India Supreme Court to dismiss Swiss pharmaceutical company, Novartis' case toward India's progressive patent law.
-
[Statement] Korean PLWHA and Civil Society Statement on Roche’s Compassionate Programme of Fuzeon for HIV/AIDS Patients in South Korea
2009/03/04Fuzeon is an essential medicine for HIV/AIDS treatment, but since 2005 Roche has been withholding the distribution of the drug in Korea. We, PLWHA and AIDS activists around the world have been protested against Roche’s murderous policy. However, Roche’s only response was that they would not supply Fuzeon until the South Korean government accepts the unreasonably high price of Fuzeon. To solve this problem, Korea HIV/AIDS Network of Solidarity and Intellectual Property Left requested a compulsory license of Fuzeon in December 2008.
-
[Statement] Intellectual property rights cannot supersede right to life
2008/12/23In 2004, La Roche, a multi-national pharmaceutical corporation, acquired the license to launch Fuzeon, an anti-retroviral product. However, South Korean people with HIV/AIDS have never seen this drug in the last 4 years. This was due to a strong ‘will’ of La Roche requesting the South Korean Government accept the price of 22 million KRW (roughly 22,000 USD) per year. The company has been withholding the distribution of the drug for the last 4 years. The exclusive right of patent protection, owned by La Roche, guarantees that the company’s murderous will is observed in South Korea.
-
[Statement] Are Roche particularly interested in connecting with groups who truly represent patient with HIV/AIDS?
2008/10/08In October 6th, Roche sent a 2nd statement sent to Act Up Paris to explain their policy in Korea. Even though Roche’s goal "is to be transparent"in their communications, Korean activists and people living with HIV/AIDS in Korea can not obtain any clear information from the statement. During the international week of action against Roche, Roche not only refuge to engage in dialogue with activists in Korea and but also make no effort to lower a price of Fuzeon.
-
[Letter] Joint Letter of Korean NGOs to the Indian Embassy in Seoul
2007/01/29On behalf of the 27 Korean NGOs, Trade Unions, I am writing to express our concerns regarding the legal proceedings that Norvatis initiated in India in May 2006, challenging the rejection of its patent application for imatinib mesylate (Gleevec/Glivec) as well as questioning the compliance of the Indian Patents Act with the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS).
-
Korean and US NGOs Position Paper on the public health issues in the Korea-US FTA Negotiation, submitted to USTR
2006/03/28We can not approve the prior action to initiate the Korea-US FTA negotation.
-
Struggle for Access to Glivec
2003/09/25Struggle for Access to Glivec in South Korea Solidarity Needed Now!!!
-
Patents and Profit: Gleevec Price Talks Break Down.
2002/11/08The National Health Insurance System Board held talks on September 6 to try decide the retail price of Gleevec, a cancer drug used for treating leukemia, only to end by delaying the talks even further. One year has passed since the problem of Gleevec first arose.
-
Novartis's stubborn Gleevec price means death to patients
2002/08/01Only by this kind of public support was Novartis able to recollect all invested capital within eight months of global marketing of Gleevec. But now, Novartis has twenty years of intellectual property rights.