[afro-nets] MSF's campaign asking the EU to cease pursuing policies that hamper access to medicines

["Mai DO" <Mai.DO@paris.msf.org>]

The European Commission is actively undermining production, registration, exportation and transportation of generic medicines through the EU-India Free Trade Agreement currently being negotiated, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement that is nearing finalization, as well as through EC customs regulations.

People in developing countries rely on affordable generic medicines. More than 80% of the medicines used by Médecins Sans Frontières to treat AIDS across the developing world are produced in India.

We are writing you today to ask you to support our new campaign to ask the European Commission to cease pursuing policies that seriously hamper access to affordable life-saving medicines for millions of people in developing countries.
https://action.msf.org/

We thank you for your support, and appreciate if you could also circulate the petition to your contacts.

Best regards,


Mai DO
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
Médecins Sans Frontières
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A detailed background briefing document is available
at:http://www.msfaccess.org/main/access-patents/hands-off-our-medicine-campaign/

To:   Commissioner De Gucht, DG Trade

The European Commission is pushing trade policies and agreements that will greatly restrict access to affordable medicines for people in developing countries.  If you continue to pursue your actions, people who rely on these medicines to stay alive will be left without a lifeline and many are likely to die.

I urge you therefore to take the following actions immediately:
•	Stop pushing for provisions in free trade agreements that will turn off the tap on production of affordable generic medicines.
•	Stop detaining generic medicines that are in transit through Europe on their way to patients in developing countries by amending the EC customs regulations now.
•	Stop pushing for restrictions on production and supply of generic medicines through anti-counterfeiting policies like ACTA, the secretive international anti-counterfeiting trade agreement.

For those who desperately need these affordable, life-saving medicines all over the developing world, I ask that you reverse your positions and commit to supporting access to medicines for all.
https://action.msf.org/

--
Mai DO 
mailto:Mai.DO@paris.msf.org