Copyright 2000 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
The San
Francisco Chronicle
MAY 9, 2000, TUESDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. A26; EDITORIALS
LENGTH: 388 words
HEADLINE:
Washington Must Act To Fight AIDS in Africa
BODY:
TEN DAYS AGO, Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., got up on the Senate floor and excoriated drug companies for trying to
"squeeze every last drop of profit from the suffering of millions of
HIV/AIDS victims in Africa."
An
incensed Feinstein was reacting to the prospect that a House-Senate conference
committee would remove an amendment to the Africa Growth and
Opportunity Act she and Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., had sponsored,
essentially allowing developing countries to bypass the prices set by drug
companies on anti-AIDS drugs and produce them at a much cheaper
rate.
Feinstein was particularly incensed by one drug, fluconazole,
marketed by Pfizer as Diflucan in the United States, where it is used to fight
yeast infections. In developing countries, it is used to fight cryptococcal
meningitis, an opportunistic infection associated with AIDS.
The drug can be bought for $1.20 per daily dose in Thailand,
where Pfizer has no patent on the drug. In South Africa and
Kenya, however, the drug cost $17.84, a price Feinstein
described as "unconscionable."
Regrettably, the trade bill is likely to
be approved by Congress this week without the Feinstein-Feingold amendment.
The setback is especially unfortunate because it comes only months after
a welcome change in U.S. policy. Last December, Vice President Al Gore announced
that henceforth, the United States will show more "flexibility" in enforcing
U.S. patent rights in countries that can demonstrate a genuine medical
emergency. Under the policy, foreign governments can force U.S. drug companies
to grant licenses to companies in their countries which can produce the drugs
more cheaply.
Trying to salvage something from her setback in Congress,
Feinstein has called on President Clinton to issue an executive order to
formalize the administration's new policy. It will not have the same force as an
actual law -- a future president could easily overturn it with another executive
order -- but it is a necessary first step.
A Clinton administration
official told The Chronicle it is considering Feinstein's request. But the time
for extended deliberation is long past. This is a crisis.
With an
estimated 5,500 people dying in Africa daily, any action that
can slow the destructive path of AIDS must be taken without an
more delay.
LOAD-DATE: May 9, 2000
