International Federation calls drug pricing for developing countries "unacceptable"
12 March 2001


The world's largest volunteer-based humanitarian organisation has urged that humanitarian needs should prevail over commercial concerns to ensure access to life-saving drugs in developing countries and is calling on its membership to support countries like South Africa in the search for solutions.

This applies not only to HIV/AIDS but also to other major public health problems, states the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies which has 176 member National Societies world-wide with close to 100 million members and volunteers, many of whom are involved in HIV/AIDS-related activities.

The President of the International Federation, Dr. Astrid Heiberg, said today: "I am very pleased that our HIV/AIDS governance group has issued such a forthright declaration on this issue. Lives are being lost because access is being denied to life-saving medicine for those living with HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. This is completely unacceptable. Pharmaceutical companies and the international community can and must find a way round this."

Dr. Heiberg added: "HIV/AIDS and associated opportunistic infections constitute a global public health emergency in which millions of lives have already been lost. Urgent measures are needed to avert an even larger scale disaster, and the present World Trade Organisation (WTO) system could work to support a suitable humanitarian response. However, the public health emergency provisions of the WTO framework will be rendered useless if the cases against Brazil and South Africa succeed."

The following statement has been issued by the International Federation's HIV/AIDS governance group:
"Humanitarian concerns should prevail over commercial concerns and the present balance of resource allocation and pricing of drugs is unacceptable and needs to be re-designed as it does not allow access to care and treatment for the vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS. This concern is relevant not only for HIV/AIDS patients but also for other major public health problems in developing countries."

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Denis McClean, Head of Media Service, Tel.: +41 22 730 4428/ + 41 79 217 3357
Marie-Francoise Borel, Information Officer Tel: +44 22 730 4346/ + 41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.