[:en]The Morning After— Thanks to everyone who came out for Asia Catalyst’s speed-dating on Monday night. Thirty courageous men and women put on their game faces and met fellow 25 to 35-year-old progressives. Their friends joined in the after-party, and together we raised $680 for our campaign for kids with AIDS in China.

To all of you who decried the 35-year-old age limit as unfair, and those who demanded men-dating-men and women-dating-women events, we hear you, and promise we’ll have more speed-dating for progressives soon. (Just remember – if things go well, we’ll be expecting a nice big piece of wedding/commitment ceremony cake at Asia Catalyst.)

Big Pharma and AIDS in China

Speaking of speed-dating, that’s what one blogger was reminded of when listening in on U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s Senate confirmation hearing – which lasted just 48 minutes. Apparently, the Senate wants him to get right down to work. Let’s hope that his to-do list includes overhauling the administration’s past policy on compulsory licensing of AIDS drugs by developing countries.

In China, thousands of people with HIV/AIDS are suffering from lack of treatment they need to survive. While the Chinese government provides free AIDS treatment to people with AIDS, many have developed resistance to the first line of AIDS medications, and second-line drugs are not included in the government program. People are dying.

Why? Because AIDS drugs are expensive – and the pharmaceutical companies that produce second-line treatment sell the medicines at prices far beyond the reach of rural people in China. Though the TRIPS provisions in the WTO allow developing countries to issue compulsory licenses and manufacture AIDS drugs domestically, China has been reluctant to do that due to fear of trade sanctions.

The U.S. has been a big part of the problem. In the past, thanks to the power of the big pharma lobby in D.C., the U.S. has placed heavy sanctions on countries that issue compulsory licenses. Just last year, pharmaceutical companies lobbied the U.S. Trade Representative to sanction Thailand because that country had issued compulsory licenses for AIDS drugs. Under the Bush administration, the U.S.T.R. agreed. James Love of KEI says this is “entirely because the USTR and the Bush White House were not willing to stand up to corporate lobbying from Merck, Abbott, Sanofi and other PhRMA members.”

President Obama promised to change the U.S. approach. Our new report will urge Mr. Kirk, the new U.S.T.R., not to use punitive measures against countries that exercise their right to issue compulsory licenses for life-saving medications. It’s the humane thing to do. Please call or write to U.S.T.R. Ron Kirk to urge him not to penalize countries for invoking their rights under WTO.

Save the date – we’re planning a panel at NYU Law School on access to AIDS treatment for children in China on Tuesday, April 28th from 6:30-8:30 pm, followed by a wine and cheese reception. A similar event will follow at American University in early May. Stay tuned for details.

If only 19 more members join the Facebook cause by the end of March, we’ll get a $500 donation from board member Minky Worden for the campaign. Please join and invite your friends![:zh]

The Morning After
— Thanks to everyone who came out for Asia Catalyst’s speed-dating on Monday
night. Thirty courageous men and women put on their game faces and met fellow 25
to 35-year-old progressives. Their friends joined in the after-party, and together
we raised $680 for our campaign for kids with AIDS in China.

 

To all of you who decried the 35-year-old age limit as
unfair, and those who demanded men-dating-men and women-dating-women events, we
hear you, and promise we’ll have more speed-dating for progressives soon. (Just
remember – if things go well, we’ll be expecting a nice big piece of wedding/commitment
ceremony cake at Asia Catalyst.)

 

Big Pharma and AIDS in
China

Speaking of speed-dating, that’s what one
blogger was reminded of when listening in on U.S. Trade Representative Ron
Kirk’s Senate confirmation hearing – which lasted just 48 minutes. Apparently,
the Senate wants him to get right down to work. Let’s hope that his to-do list
includes overhauling the administration’s past policy on compulsory licensing
of AIDS drugs by developing countries.

In China,
thousands of people with HIV/AIDS are suffering from lack of treatment they
need to survive. While the Chinese government provides free AIDS treatment to
people with AIDS, many have developed resistance to the first line of AIDS
medications, and second-line drugs are not included in the government program.
People are dying.

 

Why? Because AIDS drugs are expensive – and the pharmaceutical
companies that produce second-line treatment sell the medicines at prices far
beyond the reach of rural people in China. Though the TRIPS provisions
in the WTO allow developing countries to issue compulsory licenses and
manufacture AIDS drugs domestically, China has been reluctant to do that due to
fear of trade sanctions.

 

The U.S.
has been a big part of the problem. In the past, thanks to the power of the big
pharma lobby in D.C., the U.S.
has placed heavy sanctions on countries that issue compulsory licenses. Just
last year, pharmaceutical companies lobbied the U.S. Trade Representative to sanction
Thailand
because that country had issued compulsory licenses for AIDS drugs. Under the
Bush administration, the U.S.T.R. agreed. James Love of KEI says this is “entirely because the USTR and
the Bush White House were not willing to stand up to corporate lobbying from
Merck, Abbott, Sanofi and other PhRMA members.”

 

President Obama promised to change the U.S. approach. Our
new report will urge Mr. Kirk, the new U.S.T.R., not to use punitive measures
against countries that exercise their right to issue compulsory licenses for
life-saving medications. It’s the humane thing to do. Please call
or write to U.S.T.R. Ron Kirk to urge him not to penalize countries for invoking
their rights under WTO.

 

Save the date – we’re
planning a panel at NYU Law School on
access to AIDS treatment for children in China on Tuesday, April 28th
from 6:30-8:30 pm, followed by a wine and cheese reception. A similar event
will follow at American
University in early May. Stay
tuned for details.

 

If only 19 more members join the Facebook cause by the end of March, we’ll get a $500 donation from board member Minky Worden for the
campaign. Please join and invite your friends!

[:]