In the latest battle between drug makers and the Colombian government, an industry trade group has asked the Colombian health minister to scrap a move that is designed to unilaterally lower the prices of hepatitis C drugs or, eventually, issue compulsory licenses.
The move comes after Colombian Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria last month issued a resolution to determine whether a so-called declaration of public interest should be pursued, a step needed to lower prices. In a letter sent to the minister on Monday, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America argued the resolution is “legally and procedurally deficient,” and should be revoked.
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Oh how familiar all this is, from half a century ago. When small little Sri Lanka did the same thing with a generic medicines policy in 1973, US Pharma retaliated with threats of Trade Sanctions and withholding PL 480 (which was food aid).
So Trade and US Pharma half a century later still practice threatening basic services (food in the case of Sri Lanka in 1973 and support for Peace Agreement of Colombia in 2017) when their exorbitant profits are threatened.
Fighting in the excreta seems standard to them.
A M Katha
Colombia and Doctors Without Borders are fighting the good fight. Most pharma executives are tantamount to gangsters with no conscience whatsoever, even though they have kidded themselves into thinking it’s fair to charge for a drug according to its “value” to a sick person.