Panafrican News Agency (Dakar).
AllAfrica.com.
Johannesburg - The South African Communist Party (SACP) has welcomed Cuba's
offer of cheap drugs to fight AIDS.
President Fidel Castro said on Sunday that Cuba had developed world-class
AIDS drugs and wanted to help South Africa and Brazil circumvent patent laws to
produce cheap generic drugs.
"This offer, once more, re-affirms the need for universal access to
affordable medicines in all poor countries," SACP spokesperson Mazibuko
Jara said late Tuesday.
"It is unconscionable that South Africa should pay prices similar to
the US for its medicines. The massive public health crisis and the HIV/AIDS
epidemic facing many poor countries are a major threat to life, dignity and
freedom of people."
Premature and unnecessary deaths from many curable diseases, TB and HIV/AIDS
threaten to disrupt economic and social life in all poor countries.
"The main obstacle to the Cuban offer is the patent ownership and
patent abuse over many years by drug companies and their continuing court
challenge to the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Act," said
Jara.
"The SACP calls on government to take up the Cuban offer by putting in
place a state-led industrial strategy focusing on local generic production."
The South African government on Tuesday released new AIDS statistics
indicating an increase of about 12 percent, which translates to about 4.7
million sufferers, or one in nine of the population. But the infection rate
seemed to be stabilising slightly, the government said.
"The SACP calls on the Minister of Trade and Industry to use his powers
in terms of Section 78 of the Patents Act (No. 57 of 1978) in order to negotiate
and issue voluntary licences for the local production of generic medicines.
"SACP calls on all South Africans and other progressive forces in the
world to continue with mass action against drug companies when the court
challenge by drug companies against South African legislation for affordable
medicines resumes on 18 April 2001," said Jara.
Copyright © 2001 Panafrican News Agency. Distributed
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