Would demanding the right to use competition laws for an

aids patient undergoing treatment be a good way to put

pressure on the pharmaceutical industry ?

THE CASE OF THE COMPLAINT MADE AGAINST ACT-UP

BY ABBOT IN FRANCE

Vincent PELLETIER

Managing Director of AIDES

Director of PLUS

DAVID AND GOLIATH

ABBOT IS GOLIATH

Billions of capsules and tablets Budget of 26 billions dollars 68 000 associatesIn 130 countries

Biggest fear = generics

Abbott decided to take retaliatory measures towards Thailand

ACT-UP PARIS IS DAVID

Medicine should not be regarded as a commodity

Few methods but well known

Often extreme but effective

LIKE DAVID, MILITANTS ATTACKED

Flooding the Abbott website with a tone of emailsFlooding the Abbott website with a tone of emails Sending a tone of faxesSending a tone of faxes

ABBOT STRIKES BACK

Bringing Act-Up to courtBringing Act-Up to court

Act-Up may be condemned to payAct-Up may be condemned to pay

Act-Up risks to collapseAct-Up risks to collapse

THEN CAME AIDS IMPACT

OPENING CEREMONY

Marseille, France, 1-4 July 2007

AIDSImpact

STARTING POINT HYPOTHESIS

If manufacturers can’t agree that medicines are not a commodity, perhaps we should begin to think like the manufacturers : If medicine are a commodity, then patients are consumers Consumers have rights and methods of action

= competition

CONCLUSIONS

ABBOTT retreated and withdrew its complaint

Battle is not over, all those who need treatment don’t have access to the best one

But a step has been taken : some patients and doctors now have choice

QUESTIONS

Would it be conceivable to have an Would it be conceivable to have an international alliance between patients who international alliance between patients who have no problems with medicine and those have no problems with medicine and those who have?who have?

Are we capable of solidarity?Are we capable of solidarity?

OTHER QUESTIONS

When, with how many different medicines available, When, with how many different medicines available, with how many firms present in the country can we with how many firms present in the country can we decide that we have enough choice and can decide that we have enough choice and can therefore use the competitors’ products?therefore use the competitors’ products?

How can we mobilize patients with other illnesses to How can we mobilize patients with other illnesses to boycott the products of a company which acts boycott the products of a company which acts unacceptably towards aids patients?unacceptably towards aids patients?

AND MORE

How can we assess the effectiveness of such measures so they are not in vain and have a real impact on access to care and fair prices?

How do we make social Science researchers aware of these issues?

How do we mobilize patients in the North countries, who have free access to care with their social security systems, to rally for the patients in the south, who are victims of industrial and political blackmail?

Abstract n° MOAE0104

V. Pelletier, B. Spire, E. Chateau

THANK YOU