Health
Aids: Economic development, not cheap drugs
IPN Opinion article
If the EU, the US and other rich nations want to tackle poverty in the developing world, including Africa, all trade barriers (tariff and non-tariff) including agricultural subsidies must be removed. In real development terms, the effects are substantial. Elimination of tariff and other non-tariff barriers could result in gains for developing countries: $182 billion in the services sector, $162 in manufacturer and $32 billion in agriculture.
Availing themselves of these, AIDS activists will have to retrace their steps, change their tactics and focus more on economic development for the poor countries. If economic growth and development is accelerated in Africa, majority of people wallowing in abject poverty will cross the poverty line. This will enable them to have access to life-saving drugs, escape early death and escape other deadly diseases. Cheap drugs will not.
Africa Needs DDT
IPN Opinion article
If political correctness saved lives, malaria would no longer be a problem. Unfortunately, it doesn\'t, and some donor agencies are doing more harm than good.
Mosquito bites the economy
IPN Opinion article
Never mind that the country hasn't seen the monsoon in its full fury this year. That's not going to take the sting out of the anopheles mosquito, as its dreaded bite injects the malaria parasite into bloodstreams across the country. The first reports of malarial deaths have already started trickling in.
The deaths in themselves are tragic since it is now 50 years since India declared war on malaria. Now, a study by a Delhi-based think-tank, Liberty Institute, suggests that malaria is draining the economy by as much as Rs 1,692 crore a year.
The Stockholm Convention: Who stands to gain?
IPN Opinion article
The great success of the global Green movement is in getting all \"right thinking people\" to buy into their ideas and philosophy. It would be hard to find anyone that would question the need to ban dangerous chemicals. And yet few people question the scientific legitimacy of the bans, and even fewer consider the unintended consequences on the health and economic wellbeing of those in the developing world.
Keep Politics Out of Fighting Disease
IPN Opinion article
The WHO has once again denied Taiwan the right to participate in the annual World Health Assembly...
Public health, medical knowledge and human lives should not be used as political bargaining chips. It is especially odd that Beijing would resort to threats in the WHO forum, when Beijing receives far more in aid from the WHO than it contributes, while Taiwan is eager to contribute to the WHO for the benefit of all peoples, including mainland Chinese. The cash-strapped WHO would surely welcome new contributors to its coffers and to its knowledge and capabilities.
Cheap drugs and red herrings
IPN Opinion article
Anyone who believes that overriding patents will magically increase access to drugs should only look at India, where there are over 22,000 generic drug manufacturers, no drug patent laws and yet only a tiny fraction of those who need anti-retroviral therapies get them. Indeed, over 90 per cent of the WHO list of essential medicines are off-patent, and yet these drugs are not delivered to those in need. Poverty, stigmatisation and a lack of health infrastructure are the real barriers - not drug patents.
Letter to the editor: Affordable medicines
IPN Opinion article
The issue of drug patents is a red-herring and is being used as a crowd pleaser by WTO delegates, while the US and EU drag their feet in reducing trade restrictions and agricultural subsidies ñ moves that could actually increase wealth and allow for long-term health improvements.
Free the industry, not the drugs
IPN Opinion article
If chanting slogans and booing speakers could magically create new innovative drugs, this week\'s Barcelona AIDS Conference could be considered a raging success. Activists have certainly put their moral righteousness on display as they pour abuse on pharmaceutical companies. On Tuesday they prevented a U.S. cabinet member from speaking. The U.N. organizers of the conference have smiled benignly on it all. But despite the posturing, the idea that giving greater powers to government at the expense of the private drug companies will lead to more sustainable drug delivery is deeply flawed.
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Medicamentos genÈricos y el sida
IPN Opinion article
El fuerte respaldo de MÈdicos Sin Fronteras (MSF) y de otras organizaciones a la importaciÛn desde AmÈrica Latina de copias genÈricas ilegales de medicinas contra el sida est· siendo aplaudido por analistas desde Chile hasta la India. Pero mientras unos pocos con suerte van a ser beneficiados con ello, se pone en peligro la salud de muchos m·s en el futuro, en la medida que los laboratorios farmacÈuticos reduzcan sus investigaciones sobre las enfermedades m·s comunes en los pa'ses pobres.
Slowing birth of AIDS drug
IPN Opinion article
AT THE WORLD Summit on Sustainable Development, in September, Peter Piot, head of UNAIDS, told delegates he was upset that AIDS discussions were not more prominent on the summit agenda.
He will be even more upset when he learns of the latest data to come out concerning AIDS research: There are between 5 percent and 30 percent fewer anti-AIDS drugs in development than there were a few years ago.
