[afro-nets] Roche Will Not Enforce Patents... (2)

[Wouter Arrazola de Onate <Wouter@health.uem.mz>]

Roche Will Not Enforce Patents... (2)
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Dear all, dear 'Roche',

I am running an STI programme in Mozambique, which is on the
list of least developed countries.

If Roche is truly concerned about the epidemic, they also should
lower their prices for tests for STI, like PCR for Chlamydia and
Gonorrhea etc... Everybody knows that STI are fuelling the
spread of HIV, So lowering the prices for STI-testing should be
on the agenda as well.

Especially in Sub-Saharan Africa:

Roche South Africa gave me a quotation with ridiculously high
prices for their PCR kits. Prices were 4 TIMES HIGHER then
prices in Europe!!! Can anybody understand this international
policy? I do not see the "socially and environmentally sustain-
able" way of operating here, I'm sorry. ASKING HIGHER PRICES IN
AFRICA THAN IN EUROPE????

So I felt obliged to buy in Europe and import with cooled trans-
port to Mozambique. Even with transport costs, prices per test
were much, much lower. I asked several times for an explanation
but until now I didn't get a response from Roche. I will try it
this way.

Kind regards,

Dr. Wouter Arrazola de Onate, MD
International Centre for Reproductive Health
Field Coordinator Mozambique
Universidade Eduardo Mondlane - Universidade da Ghent
Faculdade de Medicina
Av. Salvador Allende
Maputo, Mozambique
Cellular: +258-82-768-235
mailto:wouter@health.uem.mz