Motsoaledi: Big pharma's 'satanic' plot is genocide

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Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi is livid about a pharmaceutical company campaign he says will restrict access to crucial drugs.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has accused a group of multinational pharmaceutical companies active in South Africa of conspiring against the state, the people of South Africa and the populations of developing countries – and of planning what amounts to mass murder.

"I am not using strong words; I am using appropriate words. This is genocide," Motsoaledi told the Mail & Guardian on Thursday, in response to a plan he described as a conspiracy of "satanic magnitude" – a plan he called on all South Africans to fight "to the last drop of their blood".

The plan in question is a nine-page document obtained independently this week by both the M&G and the department of health, blandly titled Campaign to Prevent Damage to Innovation from the Proposed Draft National IP Policy in South Africa.

But the contents have Motsoaledi spitting fire and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) deeply concerned, and its disclosure will likely lead to open war between the various parties – a conflict that all sides believe will have inevitable consequences for the long-term health and wealth of a significant fraction of the world's population.

Intellectual property

The war has been brewing for years, but was brought to a head in September last year when the department of trade and industry published a draft framework for a new policy on intellectual property (IP), including patents over life-saving drugs.

Much to the delight of organisations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the government's draft policy focuses heavily on health, and on reform in the treatment of medical patents. Drug companies with local operations were appalled and, evidence suggests, almost immediately started work on a plan to change the direction of the policy radically. Instead of weaker protections for valuable drug patents, they sought stronger protection.

By last week that plan had become concrete. The drug companies' umbrella body, the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa (Ipasa), selected a Washington, DC-based, lobbying firm Public Affairs Engagement (PAE) to lead the charge against the policy. PAE, in turn, put forward a proposal on how it would effect radical changes to the policy. And it is that plan – apparently yet to be implemented – that had Motsoaledi incandescent with anger.

"This document can sentence many South Africans to death," he said. "That is no exaggeration. This is a plan for genocide."
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More.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
Sjoe, quite dramatic there, Aaron.
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If anything an understatement.

Big pharma has had South Africa over a barrel, in the past charging the State (South Africa's biggest purchaser of drugs) more on tender than one pays over-the-counter in Europe.

And it is on-going: the USTR (responsible for US trade agreements) makes the NSA look like a bunch on Sunday-school teachers.

So, for once, I support Aaron :)
 
rrh said:
If anything an understatement.

Big pharma has had South Africa over a barrel, in the past charging the State (South Africa's biggest purchaser of drugs) more on tender than one pays over-the-counter in Europe.

And it is on-going: the USTR (responsible for US trade agreements) makes the NSA look like a bunch on Sunday-school teachers.

So, for once, I support Aaron :)
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Well, he generally does a decent job, given the mountain he faces. The DA agrees, btw, giving him an A on their report card. Only other one is Derek Hanekom.
 
Hence why we should get rid of patents and copyright altogether. For the benefit of the people, everyone needs access to all the information and medicine at the best prices. (Although information should always be free.)

As for pharmaceutical "company", I think pharmaceutical "empire" or "reich" is more appropriate. I think it would blow some people's minds if they knew how big and powerful some of these companies are.
 
They should just do what many other third world countries have done and begin producing their own generics. Screw the IP.
 
Garyvdh said:
They should just do what many other third world countries have done and begin producing their own generics. Screw the IP.
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Indeed. People's lives and futures are worth more than patents.
 
Bar0n said:
Hence why we should get rid of patents and copyright altogether. For the benefit of the people, everyone needs access to all the information and medicine at the best prices. (Although information should always be free.)

As for pharmaceutical "company", I think pharmaceutical "empire" or "reich" is more appropriate. I think it would blow some people's minds if they knew how big and powerful some of these companies are.
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There must be a middle ground, what's the point to pay for the development of new drugs (expensive process) if some other company can just come along and copy it.
 
supersunbird said:
There must be a middle ground, what's the point to pay for the development of new drugs (expensive process) if some other company can just come along and copy it.
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If you're dying because you can't afford medicine you steal the medicine. That is all. Big-pharma will still make a fortune in the 1st world.
 
Aaron Motsoaledi is one of the few ministers we should all listen to. He is a very good egg.

That said, I haven't even read the article yet, will do so now.
 
Nick333 said:
If you're dying because you can't afford medicine you steal the medicine. That is all. Big-pharma will still make a fortune in the 1st world.
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Ja, that's my thinking... in fact there could even still be separate distribution channels even within the same country.
 
supersunbird said:
There must be a middle ground, what's the point to pay for the development of new drugs (expensive process) if some other company can just come along and copy it.
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It's true that R&D costs are very high and the CRO who first develops the product only gets 5 years of its 20 year patent to exclusively sell the drugs. However, I struggle to find empathy for a company like Johnson & Johnson who make $12 billion in profits annually (not revenue, pure profit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pharmaceutical_companies).

People's lives should be worth more than greed.
 
Bar0n said:
It's true that R&D costs are very high and the CRO who first develops the product only gets 5 years of its 20 year patent to exclusively sell the drugs. However, I struggle to find empathy for a company like Johnson & Johnson who make $12 billion in profits annually (not revenue, pure profit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pharmaceutical_companies).

People's lives should be worth more than greed.
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Patents has become a way in order to roadblock competition. What if those life saving drug makers went out of business and refused to sell the "patent". If you look at the cellphone industry you can see how screwed up the industry really is.

What is needed is a complete change in how the patent system work and are looked at.
What if the patent was treated more like a brand, owning the patent allows you to use it to advertise on your products and if anyone else wants to put that patent on their boxes, they can pay royalties.

Say for instance you get a medicine box that's fully branded and patented, vs a generic with a patent approved sign vs a bland generic. The generic with the patent approved sign will of course have worth in the customer's point of view. Even though the plain generic uses the patent.
 
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HideInLight said:
Patents has become a way in order to roadblock competition. What if those life saving drug makers went out of business and refused to sell the "patent". If you look at the cellphone industry you can see how screwed up the industry really is.

What is needed is a complete change in how the patent system work and are looked at.
What if the patent was treated more like a brand, owning the patent allows you to use it to advertise on your products and if anyone else wants to put that patent on their boxes, they can pay royalties.

Say for instance you get a medicine box that's fully branded and patented, vs a generic with a patent approved sign vs a bland generic. The generic with the patent approved sign will of course have worth in the customer's point of view
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When it comes to generics, you don't need to look for any special signs or approval stamps. If it's on the counter, it has been approved by the regulatory authorities and passed a very rigorous and strict process.

Generics make use of the same active ingredient. The generic company only needs to prove that its drug distributes as well throughout the body as the original product; if you have the same active ingredient and the same distribution, the effect should be the same. So generally when it comes to BE studies, you would compare the maximum concentration (Cmax) and the area under the curve (AUC) and statistically prove that the 2 drugs are in fact the same. The regulatory authorities check these calculations and then give it the go-ahead if it passes.
 
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Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi is livid about [-]a pharmaceutical company[/-] Mbeki campaign he says will restrict access to [-]crucial drugs[/-] ARV's.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has accused [-]a group of multinational pharmaceutical companies[/-] Mbeki active in South Africa of conspiring against the state, the people of South Africa and the populations of developing countries – and of planning what amounts to mass murder.
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Still hold true if you change it like that :whistle:

Calling them satanic and their agenda genocide is a bit drama queen, especially as its apparently ok for the state (ANC) to suck citizens dry but oh so unholy when private companies try to do the same.

Bar0n said:
People's lives should be worth more than greed.
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Again, people's survival & lives mean nothing when it comes to Zuma's greed but oh no, private companies' greed is straight from teh Debil.
 
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evilstebunny said:
Again, people's survival & lives mean nothing when it comes to Zuma's greed but oh no, private companies' greed is straight from teh Debil.
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I don't see why it's necessary to keep playing the ANC/Zuma card in every single thread. We get it, no-one likes him. It's not relevant to this discussion.
 
SlinkyMike said:
I have not read the article but as a general rule of thumb, I have found that the phrase 'Big Pharma' is a reliable indicator that the person who has uttered it is either hysterical, a moron, or both.
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Care to elaborate?
 
rrh said:
Big pharma has had South Africa over a barrel, in the past charging the State (South Africa's biggest purchaser of drugs) more on tender than one pays over-the-counter in Europe.
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Nearly everything that goes through tender is a higher price than the norm. I wouldn't be surprised if the "additional costs" included on the tender were to pay backhanders and "fees".

Not saying that what he is saying is totally without merit but I also think that the government has also created a monster when it comes to tender prices.
 
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