Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Wall Street Journal - July 24, 2007
The Abbott Park, Ill., drug maker said it would withdraw its suit after meeting with representatives from Act-Up Paris, an AIDS group, at a conference in Australia, and reaching an agreement with it to respect access to AIDS treatments and information.
Abbott has been at the center of a public-relations storm over access to AIDS drugs in developing nations. The criticism against the company intensified in May when Abbott filed suit against Act Up-Paris in French criminal court, breaking with the drug industry's unwritten practice to be conciliatory toward AIDS groups.
Act Up-Paris had launched a cyber attack in April against Abbott's Web site to protest the company's decision to withdraw new-drug applications from Thailand.
Jennifer Smoter, an Abbott spokeswoman, said now that the suit has been withdrawn, she doesn't expect more cyber attacks from Act Up-Paris.
"If we have to organize another net strike we will, because access to treatment is more important than information they have on their Web site," said Jerome Martin, an Act Up-Paris member.
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