iClinic (Johannesburg) - December 15, 2000
Marjolein Harvey
"The South African delegation was impressed with work that has been done by Brazil in local production of generic drugs and in reducing the cost of medicine including anti-retroviral drugs," said Sibani Mngadi, spokesperson in the Ministry of Health, in a statement on Friday.
The visit coincided with the annual meeting of the governing body of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which opened on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.
"Our presence here marks our recognition for [Brazil's] very substantial response to the AIDS epidemic," UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot said.
Brazil's success is coveted by people living with HIV/AIDS all over the world, because although a poor, developing country marred by huge socioeconomic inequalities, the country also provides access to antiretroviral drugs to patients who need them, utilising its own manufacturing company to help bring prices down.
Brazil manufactures a variety of generic drugs including anti-retroviral drugs in state owned laboratories that supply most of the pharmaceutical products to the country's public health sector at a cheaper price than the labeled product.
The delegation visited Brazilian drug production plants and South Africa will be studying Brazilian model further to decide on whether it can address the problem of high prices in the country and SADC region.
Brazil has offered to assist with the transfer of necessary skills and expertise if South Africa decides to produce generic drugs locally. Brazil also expressed interest in working together with South Africa in multinational health forums.
Health research, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, human resource development, health management information systems; delivery of specialised health services; health promotion and prevention; malaria and hospital management are other areas that have been included in declaration.
HIV/AIDS drug negotiations still not resolved However, the health department reports that the UNAIDS Contact Group on Accelerating Access to HIV/AIDS-related Care could not make any progress in securing agreement between countries representing different regions and pharmaceutical companies on reduction of prices of HIV/AIDS drugs.
"During the meeting, a representative of the five pharmaceutical companies who are part of the Group failed to discuss the reduction of the prices of drugs for HIV/AIDS related care," according to Mngadi.
The industry also declined to disclose current drug prices and the percentage(s) of price reduction they are prepared to offer to the developing countries.
Tshabalala-Msimang expressed concerns about a lack of progress in the meetings with the pharmaceutical industry, which have been dragging for months without any offer being tabled for discussion.
"We do not know where these discussions are taking us because of the absence of an offer from the pharmaceutical industry. Cost and prices are central to the issues of access to treatment not only for HIV/AIDS but for other diseases that are prevalent in developing countries, "said Tshabalala Msimang.
This year, some 150 000 Latin Americans were infected with AIDS, bringing the total number of people living with HIV or AIDS in the region to some 1.4 million, up from 1.3 million in 1999.
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