English – Page 22 – ITPC Global

People living with HIV denied treatment in Congo-Brazzaville

Yaoundé, February 12, 2016
Health facilities and HIV clinics in Congo-Brazzaville frequently run out of antiretroviral drugs for long periods, according to reports from people living with HIV in the country. Accounts from community groups to International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) in Central Africa suggest there have been periodic interruptions since 2012, and that the situation worsened dramatically over the last year. As well as interruptions to HIV treatment, there is a climate of fear with informants only prepared to share information on the basis of anonymity.

The drugs have run out

ITPC – Central Africa has heard that first and second line regimens, and the reagent for the laboratory test, are frequently out of stock. Patients are often unable to get treatment for a full month, even when they go back to their clinics repeatedly. News of stock-outs is accompanied with rumors that employees of the National AIDS Control Committee haven’t been paid, fueling suspicions that funding may be at the root of the problem.
The alarming situation in Congo-Brazzaville can have very serious impacts for people living with HIV. “Unplanned interruptions in antiretroviral therapy has negative impacts on HIV treatment outcomes, including increased morbidity and mortality, as well as the development of drug resistance,” explains James Clovis Kayo, Regional Director of ITPC – Central Africa. “Another consequence is that people lose trust and do not return to treatment even when normal supply returns.”
“News is difficult to get from inside the country as there seems to be a climate of fear,” explains Solange Baptiste, Interim Executive Director of ITPC-Global. “The networks that fought so hard to get access to treatment have gone silent. We are very concerned that people are being denied treatment, and their right to health, and we urge that the government addresses this problem immediately.”
“I cried and I still cry because I realize that all the work we’ve done as PLHIV associations has been undone, because of the current situation,” said an informant who preferred not to be named. “Don’t say to anyone that you were in communication with me.”
ENDS
See the french statement (PDF) here.
Contact information
James Clovis KAYO, Regional Director ITPC-Central Africa, jamesckayo@gmail.com, +237 661 030 702 / +237 677 715 268

ITPC Global

12 Feb 2016

Commentaries

Antiretroviral therapy, Central Africa, Congo-Brazzaville, HIV treatment, international treatment preparedness coalition, ITPC, people living with HIV, stockouts
Latest, most effective AIDS drugs not available in North Africa

Zakaria Bahtout, the Programs Partners’ Officer at ITPC MENA describes the protest targeting ViiV Healthcare, from the frontline in Harare, Zimbabwe, at an international conference at the end of last year. At ‪the International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Dieases in Africa 2015, treatment ‪activists ‬‬‬shamed ‪ViiV‬‬‬ Healthcare for preventing Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia‪ from accessing generic versions of ‪dolutegravir.

We Are All Africa

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬Protestors chanted the slogan, “We are all Africa”, as the crowd steadily grew with each passing minute. The protest drew the attention of thousands of people participating in the 18th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) in Harare, Zimbabwe recently.
I joined activists from all over Africa to call on the pharmaceutical company to ensure that its HIV medication is accessible and affordable to people living with HIV in North Africa. We demanded to know why the pharmaceutical giant decided to exclude four African countries, including Morocco where I live, from its voluntary license; denying people in those countries the ability to produce or import generic versions of the antiretroviral drug dolutegravir.

Dolutegravir recommended but not available

Newer AIDS drugs and formulations of existing drugs are urgently needed in North Africa, yet they are not available because powerful pharmaceutical companies have decided not to sell them, while preventing access to generic versions of their drugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) presented its new HIV/AIDS treatment guidelines at ICASA, highlighting several essential medicines including dolutegravir which are simply not available in North Africa.
The antiretroviral medicine dolutegravir, marketed by the pharmaceutical firm ViiV Healthcare, as Tivicay, is an integrase inhibitor. Integrase inhibitors prevent HIV genetic code from integrating with the human DNA. Dolutegravir is very effective, has significantly fewer side effects than some older treatments, and high genetic barriers preventing drug resistance in patients. The use of this drug will help improve patient adherence to treatment, and result in suppressed viral loads.
This new drug is critical for people in all African countries, yet it is not available in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. ViiV Healthcare has not revealed any plans to market this new drug in any of these four countries.

Price remains major barrier to access in North Africa

ViiV Healthcare, the company that markets the drug, has claimed that the four North African countries have not been excluded from its voluntary license, and that the company has already filed for authorization with health authorities in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The company added that as of now there are no patents for the drug in Libya or Tunisia. However, this is not entirely true because ViiV Healthcare and the Medicine Patent Pool issued a voluntary license on dolutegravir to Indian manufactures in 2014, allowing them to supply 121 developing countries with the generic version of the drug. Almost the whole of Africa was included in the agreement, except for Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco.
As a result of this exclusion, the price of the drug will remain a major barrier to access in North Africa. Today in Morocco the cost of the standard first-line therapy for one patient is US$108 per year. However, when a patient experiences significant side effects or develops drug resistance these patients require newer, second-line treatment. It is at this point that the cost of treatment can become prohibitively expensive at US$1,660 per year per patient.
Powerful companies like ViiV Healthcare have the power to change this. Patients whose lives had been saved by first-line treatment will once again be in peril when the day comes that they require second-line drugs. If we don’t gain access to these newer drugs at affordable prices, the result could be catastrophic for people living with HIV in North Africa. This is why it was important to remind the pharmaceutical companies, and the world, that “we are all Africa”.

What next – take action

Following our protest we were contacted by ViiV Healthcare. The company invited us to sit down and express our concerns about their decision to exclude North Africa from its voluntary license. We used the opportunity to demonstrate the effect their decision would have on access to effective treatment for people living with HIV in the region.
The fight is just beginning… In order to stay up-to-date on how we are progressing follow us on ITPC-MENA Facebook page. You can show your support for our campaign by sending us photos of you holding the campaign’s logo with your own personal message.

ITPC Global

3 Feb 2016

Commentaries

activists, advocacy, dolutegravir, HIV, ICASA, ITPC, ITPC MENA, medicines, North Africa, protest, treatment, WHO
Kenya re-classification set to reverse progress on AIDS
Rose Kaberia, Regional Director for ITPC-East Africa, raises her concerns about the World Bank’s re-classification of Kenya. She describes her efforts, with others in Kenya, to get the Bank to reconsider.
The re-classification of Kenya from a low income country to a lower middle-income country by the World Bank is a big mistake, and is set to reverse progress on HIV/AIDS. It will mean a significant withdrawal of much needed donor assistance, and our country will be exposed to exorbitant prices for life-saving drugs.
I, and my colleagues from other Kenyan civil society organizations, recently met with the World Bank in Nairobi to urge them to reverse the decision to re-classify Kenya. The World Bank is already the target of a global campaign that aims to change how the World Bank re-classifies countries. So why do we think the re-classification of Kenya is wrong?

Kenya still faces significant poverty and HIV burden

Kenya is one of ten countries that account for 80% of the world’s poverty, with almost half (45.9%) of Kenyans living below the poverty line, with an income of less than US$1.25 a day. Kenya ranks behind Zimbabwe, Eritrea and Iraq on infant mortality, with one in 14 children dying before they reach their fifth birthday.
In addition, Kenya has the fourth largest HIV epidemic in the world with 1.6 million adults living with HIV. Only 42% of people living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy, and just over half of (53%) of children receive treatment. In 2013, there were 100,000 new HIV infections recorded and 58,000 AIDS related deaths.

Middle-income status threatens gains in tackling HIV

Nevertheless, Kenya has done really well responding to HIV, and is widely regarded as one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s success stories in preventing transmission. In one decade Kenya reduced HIV transmissions by a third from 300,000 in 1993 to 100,000 in 2013.
I fear such gains will be lost following the classification of Kenya as a middle-income country. While, the country’s health system attempts to meet the health needs of its citizens and adopt WHO’s HIV treatment guidelines, the stark truth is that that most Kenyans struggle to put a meal on the table, let alone pay for health services.

Three main concerns about re-classification

We have three main concerns about the impact of the re-classification:
First, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria reduces grants to middle-income countries irrespective of the high burden of the three diseases. Withdrawal of donor funds gravely impacts the continuum of care by reducing access to prevention, care and treatment and support services. The next Global Fund replenishment period begins in 2017, by which time Kenya’s new status will undermine its eligibility.
Second, with the new middle-income country status, Kenya will be expected to purchase drugs and other essential health commodities at market prices.
Third, pharmaceutical companies and producers of other health technologies will patent their medical products to exclude competition, and therefore have greater leeway to charge higher prices. This means HIV treatment will cost significantly more and more Kenyans living below the poverty line due to the increased health care burden. As a low-income country, Kenya automatically qualified for pre-negotiated lower prices (currently estimated at US$200 per person per year) for HIV treatment. Kenya has been enjoying this concession under International Development Assistance and International Trade and Intellectual Property Rights agreements, but this may no longer be the case under the new classification.
These aren’t idle concerns. We have seen the impact on Swaziland, which was also reclassified as a middle-income country. With the highest HIV prevalence globally Swaziland it is troubling to learn that the country is losing support to reduce the spread of HIV. For example, the provision of free condoms from United Nations Family Planning Association has recently stopped.

World Bank must take action now

As the Director of International Treatment Preparedness Coalition – East Africa, I represent thousands of HIV treatment activists across the region. With several Kenyan based civil society groups, we got together with the World Bank before Christmas to let them know our concerns.
We are calling on the World Bank President to:
- Conduct an urgent review of how the World Bank categorizes countries;
- Ensure that country designations factor in disease burdens, such as HIV/AIDS, and the unequal distribution of wealth and quality of life;
- That middle-income country status is set at no lower than US$3650 of GNI per capita – equivalent to US$10 per day and/or to consider the cost of living. In Kenya, the cost of living is very high, and completely unrealistic for someone to survive on the World Bank’s rate of US$1.91 a day;
- Review the current aid allocations and request a true assessment of the health needs in countries considering the need of international support to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and bring diseases under control.
The current World Bank classification threatens the rights of Kenyans to affordable healthcare and HIV treatment. We hope the World Bank accepts its mistake and corrects the way Kenya is classified.
ITPC Global

27 Jan 2016

Commentaries

HIV, Middle-income country status, re-classification, redefine MIC, World Bank
Practical help for individuals attending AIDS Conference 2016
The 2016 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 18-22 July 2016. The theme is: Access, Equity, Rights, Now.
As the Regional Community Partner for AIDS 2016, ARASA is committed to assisting civil society and community members to be able to attend the conference, to host activities or workshops and to facilitate presentations about your work.
Although ARASA has no funding available to pay for the registration, accommodation or travel costs of participants, we have a dedicated staff member who will be able to assist with all registration and abstract, scholarship, Global Village and Youth Program applications.

Help with abstracts, registration, organizing logistics

Please contact communications@arasa.info as soon as possible for help with the entire process of:
- registering for the conference
- assistance regarding travel and entry regulations (including migration and customs issues)
- step-by-step visa application and support processes
- affordable accommodation booking options
- applying for any of the AIDS 2016 conference opportunities below.
If you need assistance with the application of abstracts, workshops or Global Village and Youth activities, please contact communications@arasa.info before Friday 29 January 2016.
The International AIDS Conference remains one of the largest and most valuable platforms for people and organisations working in the HIV response to interact with each other, civil society, communities, government leaders and scientists. It allows an opportunity for civil society and communities to engage with, and learn from, the latest HIV scientific developments. The conference is also a critical opportunity for people living with HIV and key populations to shape the HIV response by bringing the science of HIV to the people affected by HIV, and lending the community voice to the biomedical response.

AIDS 2016 aims to reinvigorate the response to HIV and AIDS

It will do this by:
1. Bringing together the world’s experts to advance knowledge about HIV, present new research findings, and promote and enhance scientific and community collaborations around the world;
2. Promoting HIV responses that are supported by and tailored to the needs of at risk populations or people living with HIV, including women and girls, men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, young people, and people who use drugs;
3. Promoting activism and community mobilisation that holds leaders, industry, and governments accountable and increases their commitment to an evidence-based, human-rights-affirming HIV and AIDS response;
4. Advancing a clear agenda for HIV in a post-2015 framework, including the cross-cutting issues of criminalisation, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, rights, and stigma and discrimination that keep people living with HIV at the center of the HIV response; and
5. Building innovative partnerships with businesses, community, government, and science to strengthen HIV prevention and treatment efforts.
ITPC Global

26 Jan 2016

Updates

2016, AIDS Conference, ARASA, community, conference, Durban, South Africa, support
Defending public health from abusive patents in Argentina

Fundación Grupo Efecto Positivo defends Argentina’s public health from the abusive patents by multinational pharmaceutical companies

Fundación Grupo Efecto Positivo (FGEP), announced in a press conference on November 30th two new actions to defend public health policies. FGEP works to guarantee access to essential medicines and treatments for HIV and Hepatitis C in Argentina and Latin America, and is a partner in the ITPC-led UNITAID-funded consortium to make medicines more affordable. Dr. Daniel Gollán, Argentina’s Minister of Health, joined the conference, as well as prominent government officials and civil society representatives.
The two actions are the latest steps taken by FGEP to challenge the unfair practices of companies that use cynical strategies to protect their drugs from market competition. In May 2015, FGEP pursued an opposition to a patent application for sofosbuvir (prodrug that cures Hepatitis C), and a joint collaboration with the Ministries of Industry and Health to apply health safeguards in relation to intellectual property claims. FGEP together with the government is calling for a fourth ‘90’ goal to be added to the “90-90-90” strategy initiated by UNAIDS – for 90% of HIV treatments to be available at an affordable price.
“Medicines are not merchandise: they’re social goods to preserve health,” explains Lorena Di Giano, Executive Director, of FGEP. “We have to be vigilant to preserve and protect public health from the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies.”

Judiciary application to stand for Public Health Policies

FGEP entered as an interested third party – in defense of public health and access to medicines – in the judiciary file that the Argentinian Chamber of Medicinal Specialties (CAEME in spanish) along with 26 foreign pharmaceutical companies have presented against the Argentinian State (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and the National Institute of Industrial Property). These companies aim for the annulment of a Joint Resolution that approved in 2012 the Guides for the Exam of Pharmaceutical Patents. These guides are considered a world example in terms of public health policies, since they guarantee adequate administration of the medicinal patents system, and prevent abuses from the multinational pharmaceutical companies.
The Guides for the Exam of Pharmaceutical Patents – also known as ‘Anti-Evergreening Resolution’- are an important tool to rationally establish an interpretation of the requisites stated in article 4th of Argentina’s patent law (Law 24.481) in relation to ‘novelty’, ‘inventive step’ and ‘industrial application’. All countries belonging to the WTO and signatories of the TRIPS agreement have the faculty to define their patentability criteria. This represents a vital opportunity to protect public health, as it provides each country with the right and freedom to nationally define what is patentable and what is not.
FGEP, with its presentation as interested third party, aims to support Argentina’s right to defend public health against the abuse of multinational pharmaceutical companies that are attacking these Guides for the Exam of Pharmaceutical Patents as they set high standards for patent request analysis in terms of novelty and inventive step, therefore preventing unnecessary monopolies in the local medicine market that would result in a barrier for the access to treatment for HIV, HepC and other diseases.
Since the adoption of these legitimate measures to protect public health affects their commercial interests, multinational pharmaceutical companies are suing the Argentinian State, in a clear strike against its national sanitary sovereignty:.

Opposition to a Patent Application for HIV treatment medicine

At the same time, FGEP also filed an opposition at the National Institute of Industrial Property to a patent application for an essential medicine for HIV treatment (lopinavir+ritonavir, commercial name ‘Kaletra’). The opposition argues and demonstrates how the patent application from the American company Abbott does not meet the legal patentability requirements and should therefore be rejected. The patent application for Lpr/Rtv (tablet) is still pending in Argentina. Abbott’s claim for a patent on the basis of the varying doses and methods, doesn’t comply with Argentinian law and the anti-evergreening resolution and are therefore not patentable due to lack of novelty and invention.
FGEP’s preliminary investigation demonstrates that the vast public investment required to acquire this product has a strong impact on the Ministry of Health’s budget: on its latest purchase, the Ministry spent over U$S 10 million (U$S 1,35 per unit) which represents 23% of the total budget for HIV treatment medicines. However, there are generic versions available in India, manufactured by Aurobindo and Mylan laboratories, being sold at U$S 0.183 per unit. If Argentina could buy the generic version at this price, it could save over U$S 9 million dollars, a 90% price reduction.
Lopinavir and Ritonavir (both together and separately) already have several granted patents in Argentina guaranteeing a legal monopoly until 2018. Abbott’s application would extend the patent until 2025, meaning another seven years of exclusivity to manufacture, sell and import the product at artificially high prices, at personal cost to people who won’t get treatment.
With its listing as as an interested third party in the Judicial File and the opposition to this unwarranted patent request, FGEP defends of public policies that protect the fundamental human right to health against commercial interests and abuses.

ITPC Global

15 Dec 2015

Our Impact

argentina, drugs, FGEP, make medicines affordable, patent oppositions
Seeking international runners living with HIV

Can you run? Are you living with HIV?

If both your answers to these questions are yes, bingo! That means you can join the “Open Faces” run in Russia with all expenses paid.
On International Candlelight Memorial day, 15 May 2016, 10,000 people will run one of four distances: 3km, 10km, 21km or 42km. They will be joined by 100 people living with HIV for a marathon with a difference. The organizers want to use this major national sporting event as an opportunity to raise awareness of HIV amongst young people, and challenge stigma and discrimination at the same time. ITPCru is encouraging runners living with HIV from all around the world to join the run which will start from Russia’s sports capital Kazan.
“I’m normally pretty skeptical about different runs, balls, auctions and fashion shows as part of the fight against HIV,” explains Gregory Vergus, Regional Coordinator of ITPCru. “But given the level of stigma in Russia, I feel I have to run. And, as I probably can’t finish the run by myself we need your help. Please join us…”
Read more about the marathon and how to apply.

ITPC Global

11 Dec 2015

Updates

HIV, marathon, people living with HIV, stigma
New year – New job?

Have you got strong leadership, fundraising and advocacy skills?

The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is looking for strong candidates with proven leadership, fundraising and advocacy skills to take on the position of Executive Director at an exciting time in ITPC’s development. Could it be you?
You will lead ITPC to build a global movement to achieve treatment access for HIV.
You will do this by managing the ITPC Global Team and associated Regional Networks and partners, and by creating partnerships with major stakeholders working on HIV treatment access.
See the job description (PDF).

ITPC Global

10 Dec 2015

Updates

candidate, executive director, job, leadership, recruit
Response to WHO HIV treatment guidelines
Barriers to progress – Treatment activists’ response to WHO HIV treatment guidelines 2015

On World AIDS Day 2015, treatment activists celebrate the achievements made in the global fight against AIDS. Ambitious goals have been set that aim to achieve 90% of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90% of those who know their HIV status being on sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of those to be virally suppressed by 2020. The 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, issued today, is an important step towards reaching those targets.
The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) and the Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) welcome the new WHO HIV treatment guidelines, but would like to underline three issues that represent barriers to continued progress.
- Community-led treatment education is inadequately supported and needs to be scaled up;
- People living in middle income countries are denied affordable access to essential medicines, such as dolutegravir;
- Availability of routine viral load monitoring remains patchy and limited in too many countries.
Community-led treatment education needs to be scaled up

We welcome the new “test and offer to treat” approach to ensure people living with HIV can benefit from starting treatment early. However, treatment initiation will always need to be guided by individual choices of patients who are knowledgeable about their options. Unfortunately, such education is rarely supported at the moment. We urge the international community to ensure that adequate, community-led treatment education is an integral part of treatment scale up.

Middle income countries need affordable access to essential medicines

We welcome the recommendation in the guidelines for the use of new antiretroviral drugs such as dolutegravir, which is more potent, has fewer side effects and a lower risk of resistance for patients, than previous drugs. However, this drug will not be available for the vast majority of people who need it in middle income countries, because of patents and the drug’s exclusion from a voluntary license issued by ViiV Healthcare in 2014.
We urge ViiV to extend its license to all middle income countries currently excluded. We call on governments to use public health safeguards such as compulsory licenses, when needed, to ensure access to essential medicines.

Governments need to adopt and implement routine viral load monitoring now

While we are happy to see reaffirmation for routine viral load monitoring in the consolidated guidelines, we are dismayed that it is still not routinely available for people living with HIV in far too many countries. The campaign ‘Be Healthy – Know your viral load’ shows that viral load testing is not routinely available in the many African countries that adopted the 2013 WHO recommendations. Other countries, such as India, have still not adopted recommendations, and only recommend viral load tests following signs of treatment failure.
We urge governments to fast track the adoption of this recommendation, and ensure if there are costs to patients, that these are affordable. In the long term this will ensure better health outcomes for people living with HIV, and it will save lives and domestic resources.
“We urge national governments, the international community and the pharmaceutical industry to ensure HIV testing, and uninterrupted, quality HIV treatment is available to everybody,” explains Christine Stegling, Executive Director of ITPC. “Communities and individuals should be supported to understand the treatment options available to them. Furthermore effective medicines and diagnostics for testing and treatment should be accessible to everybody, including those most affected, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs and adolescents, regardless of geographic location and income level of the country.”
ENDS

Notes:

For interviews with Christine Stegling contact Julia Powell at jpowell@itpcglobal.com.

International Treatment Preparedness Coalition

International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a global coalition of HIV treatment activists formed in 2003 to respond to the needs of communities worldwide. The global network is driven by individual activists, peer support groups, grassroots networks, community-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Each of the ITPC regional offices share our values and vision and come together to address issues around access to treatment issues in their countries, regions and at the global level. The Coalition includes organizations and networks run by key populations – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI), sex workers and people who use drugs – as well as others marginalized within the current HIV response, such as women, girls and migrants.
- ITPC Central Africa
- ITPC East Africa
- ITPC Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- ITPC Latin America and Caribbean
- ITPC Middle East and North Africa
- ITPC South Asia
- ITPC West Africa
For more information see www.itpcglobal.org

AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)

The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) is a regional partnership of non-governmental organizations working together to promote a human rights approach to HIV/AIDS and TB in Southern Africa through capacity building and advocacy. ARASA partners comprise a diverse mix of more and less well-established organizations including networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV), legal aid, women’s, youth and AIDS service organizations.
For more information see www.arasa.info

Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+)

The Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+) was established in response to the need for a collective voice for people living with HIV in the Asia Pacific region, to better link positive networks throughout the world, and to support regional responses to widespread stigma and discrimination and better access to treatment and care.
For more information see www.apnplus.org
ITPC Global

1 Dec 2015

Commentaries

consolidated guidelines, dolutegravir, HIV, HIV response, treatment, treatment education, WHO
Treatment advocates call on ViiV to allow access to dolutegravir

Today, at the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), treatment advocates and activists from all over Africa united to urge ViiV Healthcare to allow affordable access to an essential drug in four North African countries. A voluntary license from Viiv Healthcare will enable all other countries in Africa to be able to buy generic versions of antiretroviral drug, dolutegravir. It is unfortunate that Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia have been excluded in this voluntary license.
On the 30th of November 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its new treatment guidelines that recommend earlier treatment initiation, and the use of dolutegravir (DTG), a more potent antiretroviral, with fewer side effects and high genetic barriers preventing drug resistance for people living with HIV.
“We welcome the new WHO guidelines that embrace current science and recommend early treatment initiation, as well as the used of a new generation of antiretrovirals such as dolutegravir,” said Mohammed Msefer, Regional Director of ITPC in the MENA region. “However, restrictions imposed by pharmaceutical companies like ViiV through patents and licensing strategies are a major obstacle to implementing the new guidelines in North African countries.”
In 2014, ViiV Healthcare and the Medicines Patent Pool issued a voluntary licence on dolutegravir allowing Indian manufacturers to supply 121 developing countries with generic versions of the drug. All African countries are included in the geographical territory of the license and could benefit from generic drugs except the four North African countries.
“North Africa relies mostly on generic medicines for HIV treatment,” explains Souhaila Bensaid, Chair of Association ATP+ in Tunisia. “Our sub-region already registers the lowest coverage of treatment in the continent. Such exclusions increase the treatment gap between countries in Africa. It condemns people living with HIV to experience side effects of old medicines and make it less likely they adhere to treatment. This is particularly concerning in the context of early treatment initiation”.
“Yesterday, our colleagues in Morocco and Tunisia called on their governments to issue compulsory licenses on dolutegravir and to make sure that communities have access to generic medicines. This is a fundamental human right. Today, we as treatment and human rights advocates from all parts of the continent, attending ICASA in Zimbabwe stand together; to request that ViiV and the Medicines Patent Pool review this current license and revise the provisions to ensure access for ALL Africans who require access to treatment”, concluded Michaela Clayton, Executive Director of ARASA.
ENDS
Notes:
Media Contact :
Othoman Mellouk
Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines Lead, ITPC Global
Tel : +212-6-66452811
Email : Omellouk@itpcglobal.com
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition :
International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a global coalition of HIV treatment activists formed in 2003 to respond to the needs of communities worldwide. The global network is driven by individual activists, peer support groups, grassroots networks, community-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Each of the ITPC regional offices share our values and vision and come together to address issues around access to treatment issues in their countries, regions and at the global level. The Coalition includes organizations and networks run by key populations – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI), sex workers and people who use drugs – as well as others marginalized within the current HIV response, such as women, girls and migrants.
• ITPC Central Africa
• ITPC East Africa
• ITPC Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• ITPC Latin America and Caribbean
• ITPC Middle East and North Africa
• ITPC South Asia
• ITPC West Africa
For more information see www.itpcglobal.org
AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) :
The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) is a regional partnership of non-governmental organizations working together to promote a human rights approach to HIV/AIDS and TB in Southern Africa through capacity building and advocacy. ARASA partners comprise a diverse mix of more and less well-established organizations including networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV), legal aid, women’s, youth and AIDS service organizations.
For more information see www.arasa.info

ITPC Global

1 Dec 2015

Our Impact

ARASA, ATP+. Africa, dolutegravir, HIV, ICASA 2015, treatment, ViiV Healthcare, WHO, World Health Organization
Join ITPC at ICASA in 2015

Join ITPC at ICASA 2015. Below you can find out where we will be and you can download the ITPC at ICASA 2015 (PDF) flyer to print and take with you.

SATELLITE SESSIONS

Routine for You, But Not for Me!

Tuesday 1 December – 18:30-20:30 | Location: Committee Room 6 | Hosted by ITPC & AIDS and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (ARASA)

Research on routine viral load testing in 12 African countries – Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – informed a community-driven campagin titled Be Healthy – Know Your Viral Load launched in October 2015.
Join us and advocate for the strategic scale-up of routine viral load testing! Session will include video screening, moderated panel discussion, and catered cocktail hour!

Why Viral Load Matters Increasing viral load awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Thursday 3 December – 18:30-20:30 | Location: Committee Room 6 | Hosted by ITPC & Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Join us for a community dialogue on the findings of a rapid assessment about the level of awareness and knowledge of viral load testing in nine African countries: Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, South Africa, Lesotho, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique.
Session will include research presentation, moderated community discussion, and catered cocktail hour!

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

The State of Routine Viral Load Testing Across Africa

Community Monitoring and Advocacy for Access to Routine Viral Load Testing in 12 Countries
Monday 30 November – 16:15-16:45 | Location: Exhibition Hall | Hosted by ITPC

Children: The Missing Target in the Scaling Up of HIV Treatment in North Africa

Monday 30 November – 16:15-16:45 | Location: Exhibition Hall | Hosted by ITPC MENA

COMMUNITY VILLAGE

Treatment Networking Zone for Initiatives Across Africa
Daily | Location: Booth 29 | Hosted by ITPC Regional Networks in Africa

STAY INVOLVED & JOIN US ONLINE!

facebook.com/itpcglobal
facebook.com/knowyourviralload
@ITPCglobal
#knowyourviralload

ITPC Global

26 Nov 2015

Our Impact

2015, Africa community, HIV, ICASA, satellite sessions
How Malawi civil society secured bigger portion of Global Fund pie

Bruce Tushabe reports below on how he mobilized Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to successfully lobby for greater engagement with the Global Fund. These efforts led to a 10 fold increase in funds for CSOs to scale up the community led HIV response in Malawi. Bruce works for Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV/AIDS (MANERELA+) the organization at the heart of this story.

We were being left out

MacDonald-Sembereka making presentation about importance of engaging key populations

We at MANERELA+ wanted to ensure that the experience and expertise of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) was included in the Global Fund national plans in Malawi. Through our Executive Director, McDonald Sembereka, we were involved in the Global Fund concept note development consultations. This process hadn’t worked for CSOs in the past, and there was no sign it was going to change in the future. We could see we need to get more involved. In February 2015, Macdonald and I realized that the Principal Recipient had a huge amount of influence in budgeting and costing of the plans, and that we were being left out. The Principal Recipient for the Global Fund grant in Malawi was the Ministry of Health (MoH). Most of the activities proposed by the technocrats at the MoH were around bio medicals with little consideration for the role of communities, and of Community System Strengthening. We were keen to change that.

We got ourselves organized

The Ministry of Health was organized, but we CSOs were not. So we at MANERELA+ spearheaded the organization of several side meetings with eight CSOs where we could discuss our concerns freely. In February and March 2015, we organized four meetings over the period of a month. Together we developed a collective plan to ensure we spoke with one voice, to influence the development of the national plans.

We lobbied for a different Principal Recipient

Bruce Tushabe (left) chatting with workshop participant

As a collective, we actively lobbied the Global Fund to appoint a different Principal Recipient, who at that time was the National AIDS Commission and the Ministry of Health (MoH). On this issue we had our first success.
Prior to this, there had been some audit queries about the National AIDS Commission, and as a result Malawi was downgraded to ‘B2’ which means, ‘inadequate, but some potential is demonstrated’. So there was an appetite for change. We lobbied the Country Coordinating Mechanism through people living with HIV (PLHIV), youth and key population representatives to lobby the Global Fund. We used established mechanisms like our quarterly meetings with other CSOs and PLHIV networks to discuss and agree our strategy. When we met with the Global Fund mission we continued to build our case.
We succeeded! The Principal Recipient role is now divided along thematic lines between ActionAid who leads on HIV, World Vision who leads on malaria, and the MoH who leads on TB. The MoH continues to provide technical expertise across these areas.

We requested better engagement with the Global Fund

Even when we met with the Global Fund we felt disadvantaged. They would meet us first when on mission to Malawi, before meeting other partners. So we had no opportunity to challenge or counter what the government was saying. We raised this with the Global Fund and secured a slot alongside INGOs, such as ActionAid, during the latter part of Global Fund visits. So we still had our early meetings, but now could also meet them toward the end of their mission. This gave us an opportunity to engage fully with the management of the Global Fund grant, and address the mistakes of the past. One thing we were really keen to do was avoid duplication and ensure all actors in the response work together and that our roles complement each other.

We got stuck into budget and accountability

We at MANERELA+ took it on ourselves to facilitate sharing the budget amongst CSOs enabling them to understand the implications of the MoH costings. Previously it had been difficult for any of us to interpret the budget. After training provided by International Treatment Preparedness Coalition and AIDS & Rights Alliance in Southern Africa, as part of a project funded by Robert Carr, we were able to understand the MoH budget, and better able to advocate for the changes needed.
Most of the budget in Global Fund was allocated to bio medicals and procurement of equipment. Hardly any budget had been assigned to community system strengthening. CSO activities weren’t costed adequately, and important elements of our activities were missed out altogether. We decided we needed to fight for space at the table to challenge the budget.
MANERELA+ participated together with other local NGOs like Malawi DREAM, Malawi Network of AIDS Service Organisations, Development Aid from People to People, Centre for the Development of People, and others. Better engagement with these CSOs strengthened our position in our efforts to challenge the budgets being presented by the MoH.
MANERELA+ also participated in various workshops, such as the prioritization consultative workshop with AIDS Accountability where CSO’s came up with priorities and thematic areas to be funded by Global Fund.

We contributed to the Global Fund concept note

Having secured a place at the table we were able to fully engage in the planning and development of the concept note. During these meetings we had also spotted that there was no integration between HIV, Malaria and TB. The Global Fund team asked how CSOs could help ActionAid to scale up TB interventions. We shared MANERELA+ success models working with communities on TB and questioned some of the plans that were inadequately funded. The Global Fund made it clear to ActionAid that if partners already had expertise and were already involved in such activities, like MANERELA+, that they should involve them as implementing partners. ActionAid had already called for a meeting with CSOs to engage them in the in concept note development.

What did we achieve?

Our participation in individual consultative meetings, and in budgeting and costing consultations resulted in increasing the Global Fund allocation to CSOs for community system strengthening from below US$1 million previously to over US$10 million.
Overall our efforts resulted in an increased award from the Global Fund for Malaria, TB and HIV of over US$332 million, with around US$26 million allocated to civil society for HIV and TB for Community System Strengthening. The Government of Malawi has now signed the agreement, and committed US$30 million of its domestic resources to the joint plans, and another US$30 for the procurement of health products and to strengthen health systems, with US$8.5 million set aside for antiretroviral therapy. Our participation with other CSO’s has resulted in an allocation of almost US$390,000 for key population interventions.
Our participation also resulted in increased consultation with CSOs in PEPFAR’s country operation plan development processes. The PEPFAR country office in Malawi invited us for consultative meetings where CSO‘s were now represented. We felt that PEPFAR shouldn’t duplicate what was already included under the Global Fund country plan, and not overly focus on bio medicals. We had private meetings with CSOs ahead of the PEPFAR meetings to agree on our position.
For us one of our key achievements was being able to sit down and make specific suggestions and proposals with donors. We felt we were really able to help them maximize value for money, particularly important with today’s shrinking funds.

Please share your experiences with Global Fund processes, in the comments section below.

ITPC Global

24 Nov 2015

Our Impact

accountability, civil society organizations, community system strengthening, CSOs, global fund, HIV, key populations, malawi, MANERELA+
Diary of an intern: One month with Section 27 in South Africa

Throughout September 2015, the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) and AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) facilitated a joint regional internship exchange program funded by Robert Carr civil society Networks Fund.
The purpose of the program was to increase knowledge and build capacity around intellectual property and treatment financing within both ARASA and ITPC networks, as part of a larger effort to develop strong platforms and infrastructure that support South-to-South learning and coalition-building. Interns applied and were selected from three partner organizations: Treatment Advocacy Literacy Campaign in Zambia, Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS and Professionals Pride Kenya. The host organizations were ITPC – Middle East and North Africa in Morroco and Section 27 in South Africa.

John Kimbio’s Diary

John Kimbio, Program Officer, at Professionals Pride Kenya describes his experiences at host organization, Section 27 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

4 September 2015

John Kimbio having drinks with colleagues
The excitement to travel to South Africa was overwhelming, thinking of the different experiences I would have, forging new friends, what the internship will entail and the relationships I will be able to establish. Expectations and anxiety were mixed up in my head.

7 September 2015

Finally, I had this opportunity to meet some of the people I was interacting with via email. They seemed extremely different from what I was expecting since most of them are lawyers. They are highly engaging, very polite and friendly. They made me feel like their equal instead of a mere intern with little experience in human rights advocacy. I guess our passion in advancing human rights, and particularly access to health for all, superseded our knowledge. This made me ready to learn how I can better myself and improve my organization’s capacity to make a difference.

8 September 2015

This day began with a section on how best to document real life stories of people living with HIV and the hurdles they face in accessing affordable essential antiretroviral and health services. The stories are then used as evidence during court cases and also in advocacy to improve the situation regarding the right to access to health. This section was very informative and captivating.

10 September 2015

At the office
I was exhausted mentally with how complicated health financing is, and issues around intellectual property rights in advancing access to essential and basic medicines. This is an area where Kenya health system hasn’t made progress. There is more that the Kenyan government can do to reduce the cost of access to essential medicine and the use of generic medicines, that are effective and also affordable.
My supervisor, Umunyana Rugege, and his junior, Sher Mohammed, were very interactive conducting informal, laid back conversations that made it much easier to understand. For the rest of week I had to go through some of the cases and interventions Section 27 had pursued in an effort to compel the South African government to implement the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) and Public Health.

17th September 2015

Christine Stegling congratulates John at the graduation
The highlight of the day was the press conference initiating a campaign for good governance, transparency and accountability which was organized at the office. Everyone in the office was there to support the initiative, alongside representatives from the other regions of South Africa. It was amazing how they were mobilizing a massive march in every city from different provinces all coordinated to happen on a single day. It was incredible to also interact with people from different organizations from around South Africa.

24th September 2015

Heritage day, everyone in town was dressed in their traditional clothes and national attires. Very colorful. I felt like the misfit…hehe. This was an opportunity for me to sample some of South African culture and cuisine. I had a great time at the theatre where they showcased some of their amazing artifacts, stories, poems, dances and plays. It was a relaxing day, full of fun-filled activities.
I was dreading the reality of leaving in a day’s time.

John Kimbio describes what he learnt during his internship at the graduation ceremony in Lusaka, Zambia

ITPC Global

16 Nov 2015

Updates

access, intellectual property rights, intern, law, medicines, rights, Section 27, South Africa